History of Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

1810 - Manchester, New Hampshire founded

wikipedia.org

1839 - Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Hillsborough county, lies on the east side of Merrimack river, by which it is bounded on the W. for 8 miles; on the N. and E. it is bounded by Chester; S. by Londonderry and Litchfield. There are several streams which have their origin in this town, and which discharge themselves into the Merrimack.—Cohass brook, issuing from Massabesick pond, is the largest. It receives two other small streams from the S., and empties itself at the S.W. angle of the town. Massabesick is a large pond, at the E. side of the town, and partly within its limits. There are several smaller ponds.

The soil of a considerable part of the town is light and sandy. The intervales on the river are easy of cultivation, and productive.

The canal by Amoskeag falls is in this town, and was projected and constructed by the ingenuity and perseverance of the late Samuel Blodget, Esq. At these falls are the works of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, where the foundations of another... Read MORE...

1854 - Manchester / Piscataquog / Amoskeag
Manchester, a city and one of the shire towns of Hillsborough county, New Hampshire, is situated on the left bank of the Merrimack river, at the junction of the Manchester and Lawrence, the Concord, and the Vermont Central railroads, 18 miles S. S. E. from Concord, and 69 miles N. W. from Boston. This town, like a number of others in New England, through the development of the manufacturing enterprise, has suddenly grown from a small farming community into a wealthy and populous city. Its site is on an elevated plain, 90 feet above the surface of the river. It is regularly planned ; the principal street, 100 feet broad, extends up wards of a mile from N. to S., with others of less breadth parallel to it, and to the river. These are intersected by others, running from E. to W. There have been laid out in different sections four public squares, some of which are handsomely ornamented. The eastern portion of the city is built almost exclusively of brick, while the western abounds in... Read MORE...

1858 - TERRIBLE RAILROAD ACCIDENT.
We stop the press to announce a frightful accident that occurred near this city, on the Central Railroad, about 1 - o'clock this afternoon, on Drew & Hopkins gravel train.

JOHN G GOTHAM, a young man in this city had been had been up on the gravel train a little ways to see about getting work. The gravel train was going, and he and two others were in the rear dump car, and behind it was a car of tools. The pin was pulled to leave the tool car, when the train was in motion, and when taken out the train started up with a yerk[sic] and threw the three out. The other two scrambled out of the way, but the tool car ran over Gotham breaking both legs by the thigh, jamming one all up making it the most painful sight we ever beheld, and injuring the other so as probably to spoil it. One hand is badly smashed, a finger to two being jammed off. It is not probable that he can survive the operations of the surgeons. - Manchester Mirror, 18th

MR. GOTHAM died at 3 - o'clock, P. M., of the same... Read MORE...

1870 - DISASTROUS FIRES. Six Acres of Buildings Burned in Manchester, N.H. -Two Hundred Families Rendered Homeless
Manchester, N.H., July 8. At 2 o’clock this morning a fire broke out in one of the buildings in the rear of the Merchants’ Exchange, and swept through the wooden buildings in that section and soon enveloped nearly all the locality between Elm and Chestnut streets, and between Hanover street on the north and the back street between Manchester and the Merrimack on the south. The fire originated in a room occupied by DRAKE & CARPENTER, coffee and spice dealers, and unquestionably caught from a roaster, which ignited the dry wood-work and communicated to the adjacent buildings many of which were wood. The area burned over is from five to six acres. The amount of property destroyed in not far from $250,000, on which there is about $125,000 insurance. The number of families thrown out of their homes are not less than 200, and some put the number much higher. There has been no loss of life, as far as known, and no one was seriously injured. After the fire had raged more than an hour the wind ... Read MORE...

1871 - Long-term Letter Carrier
Manchester, N.H., boasts of a letter-carrier who has been such in that city for twenty two years, and is still at it.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
January 21, 1871

1873 - May 20 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive United States patent #139121 for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim work pants.
Levi Strauss & Co. begin manufacturing the famous Levi's brand of jeans, using fabric from the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester, New Hampshire.
wikipedia.org
May 20, 1873

1895 - Manchester
Manchester, a city, one of the capitals of Hillsborough co., N.H., is situated on the Merrimac River, 16 miles S. of Concord, and 59 miles N. of Boston. It is on the Con cord Railroad, and is a terminus of 3 other railroads,— namely, the Concord & Portsmouth, the Manchester & Lawrence, and the Manchester & North Weare. It is the most populous city of the state. Its site is a plain, elevated 90 feet above the surface of the river. The principal street, which is 100 feet wide, extends N. and S., parallel to the river. The city contains a court-house, 16 churches, 8 hotels, a Catholic orphan asylum, a convent, 4 national banks, 5 savings-banks, a state reform school, a high school, and a free public library. Three daily and 9 weekly newspapers are published here. Manchester has several public parks, a system of water-works which cost $600,000, and a paid fire department with 4 steam fire-engines. The river, which here falls 54 feet, affords great hydraulic power, which is employed in... Read MORE...

1896 - Dam and Bridge Gone.
Manchester, N. H., March 2. - The Merrimac and Piscataquog rivers, swelled by the continued rain of the past 36 hours, have risen nearly to the highest mark. The Kelly’s Falls dam broke yesterday flooding the electric light plant and causing several thousand dollars damage. Two boys, who are missing, are thought to have been drowned also. Rowe’s island, West Manchester, was flooded and the bridge to the shore swept away. Fifty thousand feet of logs were swept from Wallace’s sawmill on the Piscataquog, and rushing down were caught against the Second-street bridge, endangering it so that traffic is stopped. The railroad bridge on the North Weare road was swept away, and it is reported that four bridges at New Boston are lost.

The high water and large quantities of ice have made the Winnipiseogee and Pemigewasset rivers very high. A pier of Sanborn bridge went out yesterday forenoon, and the bridge is wrecked.
The Fitchburg Sentinel
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
March 2, 1896

1903 - FIRE AT MANCHESTER. The Massabesic Hotel Destroyed - Probably the Work of an Incendiary.
Manchester, N. H. May 14. - The Massabesic hotel in this city was destroyed by fire tonight. The hostelry, was one of the landmarks of Manchester, situated on the shores of Lake Massabesic where it had been a public house ever since the old stage coach days.

The fire was doubtless of incendiary origin, all the circumstances tending to make significant a postal card message received at the office of the Manchester Union, this evening, to the effect that there would be at brilliant illumination of the heavens to the east of the city about 8:30 o’clock tonight. This was signed “Fire-bugs,” The fire was discovered at 8 o’clock and at the hour predicted the sky was red from the blazing structure.

The building was not occupied and contained but few hotel furnishings and as it was out of repair the loss was slight, amounting to about $2000. On the premises was stored a hobby horse outfit valued at $2500 which was utterly ruined. There was no insurance on either the building or its... Read MORE...

1906
Manchester, a city, one of the capitals of Hillsboro co., N.H., is situated on the Merrimac River, 18 miles S. of Concord, on the Boston and Maine R. It is the most populous city of the state. Its site is a plain, elevated about 90 feet above the surface of the river, which here falls 54 feet (Amoskeag Falls), affording great hydraulic power, which is employed in extensive manufactures of cotton and woollen goods, the chief mills employing upward of 13,000 hands. These manufactures include sheetings, drilling, delaines, seamless bags, etc. The city's minor manufactures embrace steam-engines, locomotives, linen goods, hosiery, paper, edge-tools, carriages, beer, soap, machinery, leather, etc. Manchester is the seat of a state reform school and of various collegiate institutions. Pop. in 1850, 13,932; in 1860, 20,107; in 1870, 23,536; in 1880, 32,630; in 1890, 44,126; in 1900, 56,987.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906

1909 - LOSS IS $100,000 - ONE LIFE LOST AT A FIRE IN MANCHESTER TODAY.
Manchester, N. H., April 8. - All the worldly possessions of 2000 Greeks, Armenians, French-Canadians and Irish people, many of them either shoe shop or cotton mill employes, were wiped out by a fire today which in two hours swept away 70 buildings scattered over a block bounded by Elm, Auburn, Cedar and Beach streets. The loss is estimated at $100,000.

Nearly every building destroyed was of wood, two and three stories in height, and each was the home of between 20 and 30 families. Starting from a little tenement on the corner of Elm and Auburn streets, the fire swept rapidly along with a mile-a-minute gale as an impelling force. For a time it looked as if the experience of Chelsea a year ago would be repeated in this city, and in fact there was a brief repetition for an hour or two. Men rushed from the shoe shops and sought their homes. Furniture was dragged into the sidewalks only to be licked up the next moment by the flames. Pushcarts were pressed into service to save the few... Read MORE...

1914 - June 24 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, a downtown fire causes $400,000 damage and injures 19 firemen.

wikipedia.org
June 24, 1914

1969 - October 30 - WXPO TV channel 50 in Manchester, NH (IND) 1st broadcast

historyorb.com

Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Manchester:
Currier Museum of Art: Start your exploration of Manchester with a visit to the Currier Museum of Art. It's home to an impressive collection of European and American art, including works by Monet, Picasso, and O'Keeffe. The museum's architecture is also worth admiring.

Millyard Museum: Dive into Manchester's rich industrial history at the Millyard Museum. Located in the Amoskeag Millyard, this museum showcases the city's past with exhibits on textiles, immigration, and more.

Palace Theatre: Catch a show or performance at the historic Palace Theatre. It hosts a variety of events, from Broadway shows to concerts and comedy acts.

Majestic Theatre: If you're a fan of community theater, check out the Majestic Theatre. They often put on excellent productions featuring local talent.

Londonderry Lanes: For some family-friendly fun, head to Londonderry Lanes, just a short drive from Manchester. Enjoy a game of bowling with friends or family.

Stark Park: Take a leisurely stroll... Read MORE...