Center Springs Walking Tour
2024-06-01 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Center Springs Park, 39 Lodge Drive, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
One-mile loop walk at historic urban park. Meet at Lodge Drive. Children and families especially welcome. Rain or shine. Free.

Open Museum Day 6 places to visit in Manchester
2024-06-08 11:00 - 15:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Our Society properties and two others:

Cheney Homestead open 11 to 3 at 106 Hartford Road.
Old Manchester Museum open 10:00 to 2:00 at 126 Cedar Street.
History Center open 11 to 3 at 175 Pine Street.
Woodbridge Farmstead open 11:00 to 3:00 at 495 East Middle Turnpike.
CT Firemen’s Historical Society Museum, 230 Pine Street
Pitkin Glassworks, open 11:00 to 3:00, 22 Pitkin Street at intersection of Putnam and Parker Streets.

"Tea and Silk" -- presentation by Penny West
2024-06-09 13:00 - 14:30 | Manchester History Center, 175 Pine Street, Manchester, 06040, United States
Penny will present an illustrated talk about her great-grandparents, Gustavus Farley Jr. and Katharine Cheney Farley. Katharine, the daughter of the youngest of the Cheneys who founded Manchester’s silk industry, married a tea merchant from Massachusetts, and in 1880, they traveled to Japan, where her husband based his tea-importing firm. There in Yokohama, the 26-year-old bride set up housekeeping, learned Japanese, entered into the British expat society, had a child, bought a building lot in her own name at the Bluff, and designed and built a house with her husband. Free for members, $5.00 for non-members.

Open House
2024-05-12 13:00 - 16:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Usually open 1:00 to 4:00 on the second Sunday of each month except holidays, and also by appointment and for special events. /$5 suggested donation.

Great Lawn walk -- free
2024-06-15 13:00 - 14:30 | 146 Hartford Road, Manchester, 146 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
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.

CANCELED 6/23 due to heat: Woodbridge Farmstead open house
2024-06-23 12:00 - 14:00 | Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 Middle Tpke E, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
CANCELED DUE TO EXTREME HEAT. Come visit in July — the historic barns and grounds and a guided tour of the downstairs of the c. 1830 house. Located at 495 Middle Turnpike East, at Manchester Green. Special activities throughout the season, which is generally noon to 2:00 on the second and fourth Sundays of the warmer months. Games and fun for children. Free; donations accepted.

Open House at Old Manchester Museum CANCELED FOR JULY
2024-07-06 10:00 - 14:00 | Old Manchester Museum, 126 Cedar St., Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Canceled for Saturday, July 6. Our volunteers will be out of state. The Old Manchester Museum at 126 Cedar Street is usually open the first Saturday of the month, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. May through December except holidays; closed January through April. It is also open by appointment; the research facility is available all year round by appointment — phone 860-647-9742. Your hosts, Art Pongratz and Bob Kanehl, can help with research through the Town directories and some of our maps.

Woodbridge Farmstead open house
2024-07-14 12:00 - 14:00 | Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 Middle Tpke E, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
All welcome to visit the historic barns and grounds, and take a guided tour of the downstairs of the c. 1830 house. Located at 495 Middle Turnpike East, at Manchester Green. Special activities throughout the season, which is generally noon to 2:00 on the second and fourth Sundays of the warmer months. Games and fun for children. Free; donations accepted.

Cheney Railroad history walk
2024-07-27 13:00 - 14:45 | 146 Hartford Road, Manchester, 146 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
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 States. We will start our hike in the South End, heading north toward Center Springs Park. We will see the town of Manchester improvements at the Park Street bridge and trestle over Center Street. Some of the hike will be along roads. About 3 miles round trip. Extreme weather cancels. No dogs, please. FREE. 1900 photo shows the depot of the South Manchester Railroad, located at that time just to the east of Cheney Hall. The depot was moved farther north in 1910, and is no longer in existence.

Open House at the Old Manchester Museum
2024-08-03 10:00 - 14:00 | Old Manchester Museum, 126 Cedar St., Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
The Old Manchester Museum at 126 Cedar Street is usually open the first Saturday of the month, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. May through December except holidays; closed January through April. It is also open by appointment; the research facility is available all year round by appointment — phone 860-647-9742. Your hosts, Art Pongratz and Bob Kanehl, can help with research through the Town directories and some of our maps. Free admission; donations accepted.

Woodbridge Farmstead Open House
2024-08-11 12:00 - 14:00 | Woodbridge Farmstead, 495 Middle Tpke E, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
All welcome to visit the historic barns and grounds, and take a guided tour of the downstairs of the circa 1830 house. Located at 495 Middle Turnpike East, at Manchester Green. Special activities throughout the season, which is generally noon to 2:00 on the second and fourth Sundays of the warmer months; extreme weather cancels. Games and fun for children. Free; donations accepted. Park on the street in front of the Farmstead, or at the Senior Center and walk down to the house. Enter the back yard via the grass to the left of the house, near Woodbridge Pizza.

Open House
2024-08-11 13:00 - 16:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Usually open 1:00 to 4:00 on the second Sunday of each month except holidays, and also by appointment and for special events. /$5 suggested donation. Jamie Donahue will present “Back to School,” at 2:00 p.m.

Cheney Railroad history hike
2024-08-18 13:00 - 14:45 | CT
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 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 by the Manchester Land Conservation Trust and then on to the bridge overlooking Center Springs Park and Bigelow Brook, about three miles round trip. Participants will hear about the history of the railroad. Meet at the north end of Main Street in Manchester, in the parking lot of the strip mall on the north (right) side of the tracks, across from Farr’s Sporting Goods, 2 Main Street, Manchester, CT 06042. Park at the southeast end of the strip mall or at the Eighth Utilities District office building, 18 Main Street (please do not park in Farr’s parking lot). A special favor will be given to children who attend the hike. We will hike if light rain — bring an umbrella — but extreme weather cancels. No dogs, please. Free.

Porter Street area history hike
2024-09-14 13:00 - 14:45 | Highland Park School, 395 Porter St, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
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 replaced by the new Highland Park School, which was one of five schools built in the 1920s, and the last to be built in Manchester until 1950, when Manchester undertook an extensive school building program. It was threatened with closure, but recently enjoyed a renovation and expansion. Park anywhere in the school parking lot. Meet at corner of Porter Street and Ferguson Road. No dogs, please. Free. We plan to visit a unique and artistic house, which recently won a preservation award.

Annual member meeting and lunch
2024-09-29 12:00 - 14:00 | Manchester History Center, 175 Pine Street, Manchester, 06040, United States
Members are called to the annual meeting. The invitations that were mailed have several errors. Note that the date is Sunday, September 29! The meeting starts at 12:00 noon, with a catered lunch ($40 per person) after the meeting, approximately 1:00 p.m. Both events are at the History Center. RSVP for the lunch by email: admin-assitant@manchesterhistory.org or phone 860-647-9983. The public is welcome to attend, but only members can vote.

District walk with Christopher Paulin
2024-10-05 13:00 - 15:00 | 146 Hartford Road, Manchester, 146 Hartford Rd, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
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 hours; rain or shine. Town Historian, Susan Barlow, will provide technical support and QR codes to link participants with our website and e-newsletter. Free.

Cheney Homestead Open House - note date
2024-10-26 09:30 - 16:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Due to the special town-wide house tour (fundraiser for the Sculpture Project), the Homestead will be open in October only on the 26th. It will be closed in November. Its usual schedule is 1:00 to 4:00 on the second Sunday of each month except holidays, and also by appointment and for special events. /$5 suggested donation.

Meet & Greet with Sonya Owen
2024-11-16 16:00 - 19:00 | Manchester History Center, 175 Pine Street, Manchester, 06040, United States
Historical Society member and former employee, Sonya Owen, has written the book Thanks for the Love of “The Hood,” and will be at the History Center to talk about the book. There will also be artists and authors at the Meet & Greet. A book discussion and Q&A will take place from 5:30 to 6:30. The book is available for sale at the museum store at the History Center.

November TV show: Tea and Silk
2024-11-30 12:00 - 13:00 | CT
ALL Saturdays during November, “Tea and Silk,” a 53-minute television show recorded June 9, 2024 at the Manchester History Center. Penny West tells the history of her ancestors through photogaphs and stories about Katharine Cheney Farley and Gustavus Farley. The show airs at 12:00 noon and 8:00 p.m. on Cox cable channel 15 on Saturdays, and runs on all the Saturdays of the month. The show changes each month. This Channel 15 broadcasts in Manchester, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington. The television show is produced by Susan Barlow, directed by Kathryn Wilson, researched by Jill Gelinas, all volunteers of the Manchester Historical Society. You can watch this month’s show right now by clicking into the Cox Cable website.

November TV show: Tea and Silk
2024-11-30 12:00 - 13:00 | CT
ALL Saturdays during November, “Tea and Silk,” a 53-minute television show recorded June 9, 2024 at the Manchester History Center. Penny West tells the history of her ancestors through photographs and stories — featuring Katharine Cheney Farley and Gustavus Farley. The show airs at 12:00 noon and 8:00 p.m. on Cox cable channel 15 on Saturdays, and runs on all the Saturdays of the month. The show changes each month. This Channel 15 broadcasts in Manchester, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington. The television show is produced by Susan Barlow, directed by Kathryn Wilson, researched by Jill Gelinas, all volunteers of the Manchester Historical Society. You can watch this month’s show right now by clicking into the Cox Cable website.

Cheney Homestead Special Holiday Open House
2024-12-01 13:00 - 16:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Annual holiday open house with special decor by the Manchester Garden Club. View the 1785 Homestead at its holiday best! Art, furniture, tools, and kitchenware tell the story of this cozy house that was the residence of Cheney family members from 1785 to the 1960s. Its usual open house schedule is 1:00 to 4:00 on the second Sunday of each month except holidays, and also by appointment and for special events. /$5 suggested donation.

Cheney Homestead Open House
2024-12-08 13:00 - 16:00 | Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, CT, 06040, United States
Come for a visit to the 1785 Homestead, rich with holiday decor, artistically arranged by the Manchester Garden Club. Art, furniture, tools, and kitchenware tell the story of this cozy house that was the residence of Cheney family members from 1785 to the 1960s. The family donated the house and grounds to the Manchester Historical Society in 1968, and it has been a house museum since then. Its usual open house schedule is 1:00 to 4:00 on the second Sunday of each month except holidays, and also by appointment and for special events. /$5 suggested donation.
