Events

Charcoal hike at Highland Park

Birch Mountain Road parking lot 78 Birch Mountain Road, Manchester, CONNECTICUT

Strenuous 4.25-mile walk over rough terrain to visit a charcoal mound on the east side of Case Mountain. We will also visit the Adirondack-style summer house at Upper Case Pond, and hikers can choose to end their hike without the charcoal visit. That option would cover about one mile. More charcoal info here. Meet at […]

Tour of West Cemetery

271 Spencer Street, Manchester ct 271 Spencer St, Manchester, United States

Walking tour plus stone-cleaning demonstration at the West Cemetery, which was laid out in 1740, when the land was part of East Hartford. It became part of Manchester in 1823, and is our first cemetery. It's located on Spencer Street near the entrance ramp to I-384, accessible just beyond the I-384 on-ramp, which enters the […]

Railroad history walk

2 main street manchester ct 2 Main Street, Manchester, CT, United States

Hikers will have an easy, fairly flat, walk along the former railroad, built in 1869 to connect the Cheney silk mills to the main rail line in the North End. At 2.5 miles, it was the shortest freight-and-passenger railroad in the United States. We will hike at a moderate pace along the one-mile portion owned […]

Walking tour in Center Memorial Park

Town Hall 41 Center Street, Manchester, CT, United States

We'll visit the monuments in the park, noting the memorials to soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, Civil War, and Spanish American War. About one hour, and about one mile. Meet at the front steps of Town Hall, 41 Center Street. Rain or shine, but extreme weather cancels.

Landmark District walking tour

146 Hartford Road, Manchester 146 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT, United States

Free history walk in the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District, co-sponsored by the District Commission, and the CT State Community College Manchester Institute of Local History. This two-hour walk visits the former silk mills, and related buildings and streets, with commentary on silk manufacturing, labor relations, and the South Manchester Railroad. This will be […]

New Year’s Day walk on the Great Lawn

146 Hartford Road, Manchester 146 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT, United States

This free history walk features the “Great Lawn” and proceeds along streets and lawn to view historic mansions and the nine acres purchased by the Town in 2005 for open space and historic preservation. Cheney district commission members Tom Ferguson and Susan Barlow will comment on the historic landscape and buildings. There is some steep […]