Walking Tours

Sunday, February 18 at 1:00 p.m., history walk along the old Cheney Railroad.

75-minute walk through historic districts, starting at corner of Myrtle and Linden streets in Center Memorial Park -- viewing the work of artists and architects, noting their contributions to the culture, aesthetic, and economy of Manchester. This will be a somewhat hilly two-mile walk mostly on sidewalks. Rain or shine; extreme weather cancels. Park at […]

One-mile loop walk at historic urban park. Meet at Lodge Drive. Children and families especially welcome. Rain or shine. Free.

Visit the Great Lawn and mansion district with two members of the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District Commission: Tom Ferguson and Susan Barlow. This walk takes about 90 minutes over somewhat bumpy and hilly ground. Rain or shine; extreme weather cancels.

South to North, meet at the office steps, Fuss & O'Neill, 146 Hartford Road, Manchester. Hikers will trace the route of 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 private freight-and-passenger railroad in the United […]

North to South, meeting north of the tracks that intersect Main Street near North Main Street; park at the strip mall at that intersection. 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 […]

A unique neighborhood with historic and modern houses, reservoirs, a Nature Center, and the home of Hart Porter (1812-1891), whose house, built about 1820, is on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, as a secret stop on the Underground Railway. Little remains of the Porter Mill, except Porter Brook. In 1928, a wooden Porter Street School was […]

Annual stroll through the silk mill district, with commentary on the Landmark status of the district, labor relations, worker housing, and historic buildings, such as Cheney Hall. Dr. Christopher Paulin teaches history at CT State Manchester, formerly MCC, and follows John Sutherland in leading this walk. Moderate pace, covering about 1.25 miles, in about 2 […]

Weather permitting -- the rail trail is not snow-shoveled -- we'll walk from south to north, tracing the route of 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 private freight-and-passenger railroad in the United States. […]