Lager, Lymph, Germans and Templars in Manchester — Part 1 of 6
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Introduction In previous articles, we noted the post-Civil War economic boom in Michigan that caused a renewed demand for consumer goods and led to higher commodity prices, conditions that benefited both farmers and merchants. A second railroad in 1870 opened Manchester to new markets, especially those in Indiana and […]
The Bank of Manchester – Speculation, Boom and Bust in the 1830s (Part Two of Two)
The Short Life of the Bank of Manchester by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer It quickly became apparent by late 1837 that multiple cases of specie fraud were occurring at various banks. The same specie (i.e., exact same combination of gold and silver coin denominations) was being noted at different banks. In some cases, paper […]
The Bank of Manchester – Speculation, Boom and Bust in the 1830s (Part One of Two)
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Introduction In previous articles, we have seen the influence of the Fargo brothers, Stephen, James and Alonzo, in the early development of commerce and government in Manchester Village. The brothers opened the first general store on August 21, 1833, and James Fargo served in organizing Manchester Township as its […]
The First National Memorial Day Speech, Given by James Garfield in May of 1868
Editor’s Note: The graves of the sacred dead have been decorated for tens of thousands of years, and markers honoring those who have fallen in battle are as old as battle itself. But our national holiday called Memorial Day started shortly after the American Civil War. 620,000 Americans, measured at 2% of the total population, […]
Shopping in Downtown Manchester Circa 1835 – at Fargo & Fargo! Part Two of Two
by Ray Berg The Fargo Path to Manchester Our Fargo brothers descended from a large family whose ancestry is well documented on the Internet back to France (Jacent Fargeau, born about 1622). Moses Fargo, the first immigrant, landed in Connecticut in 1668, and our part of the extended family eventually made its way to […]
Shopping in Downtown Manchester Circa 1835 – at Fargo & Fargo! Part One of Two
by Ray Berg Major John Gilbert, the founder of Manchester, platted the original village in 1833 and built the first water-powered mill. On November 23, 1835, he sold the remaining village lands he owned and the Manchester Mill operations to Stephen Fargo of Lenawee County for $ 8,000, and returned to his growing business operations […]
Why is Our Village Named “Manchester”? Part Two of Two
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Other Published Records on the Naming of Manchester Question 3 above caused the authors to search a wide variety of published material that mentioned how Manchester received its name. The findings are listed below, noting the sources used to support each author’s claim when available. It became clear […]
Why is our Village Named “Manchester”? Part One of Two
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Authors note: The authors have dedicated significant time to determining and documenting the “true” history of the Village of Manchester, beginning with older published materials and then using modern research tools to locate original source documents and other resources which were not conveniently available to earlier researchers. This research […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part Five of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer 20th Century Changes on the Corner of Main Street A set of nine buildings once existed on the corner, offering medical services, furniture, farm implements, pianos and organs, meat, blacksmithing, woolen products, coal and all manner of 19th century necessities and luxuries. Changes in products and services needed by […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part Four of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer The Barn and Office Building on Ann Arbor Street On August 31, 1899, the Manchester Enterprise reported: “The frame for the Wurster Bros & Co.’s barn on Ann Arbor street [sic], is being raised this afternoon.” This is the first reference to the dilapidated yellow barn which existed at […]
