A Glimpse into the History of Manchester

The story of Manchester is one of optimism, entrepreneurship, and hard work. From its earliest days as the frontier town of Derryfield, to the era of industrial development, to the economic and societal challenges of the 20th Century, to today— Manchester has moved forward in a spirit of innovation.

Amoskeag Falls – “Place of Many Fish”

Manchester owes its existence to the area of rapids on the Merrimack River known as Amoskeag Falls. The word Amoskeag means “place of many fish” in the language of the Abenakis–the Native Americans who inhabited the area for centuries. The plentiful fishing at the Falls was legendary. The power of water flowing down the more than 50 foot drop in the river at the Falls was harnessed by early European settlers to operate lumber and grist mills. This tremendous water power potential made large-scale textile manufacturing possible during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century.

City of Immigrants

The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was Manchester’s largest employer for over 100 years. At its height in 1912 it had 15,500 people on its payroll. It, as well as many other industries, including shoe factories and meat packing plants, attracted large numbers of immigrant workers. Distinct neighborhoods sprung up around the City to accommodate families from Ireland, Canada, Germany, Greece, England, Scotland, Sweden, Lithuania, Russia, Poland and other countries. Many descendants of these early immigrants still live in Manchester today, and the City’s landscape is graced with beautiful churches, temples, and other structures, as well as parks and monuments that reflect their history.

The City’s cultural landscape is vibrant and ever changing. Today, nearly 20% of Manchester’s residents speak a nonEnglish language and a wide range of ethnic groups are represented in the community’s diverse immigrant and refugee populations.

The Early Textile Industry at Amoskeag Falls

In 1805 a small wooden mill was built on the west bank of the Merrimack River at Amoskeag Falls by an entrepreneur named Benjamin Pritchard. Its water wheel powered machinery for spinning cotton and woolen yarn. In 1810, the mill was enlarged and local investors were brought in. The first water-powered looms were installed in 1819, and automated textile production began. Six business partners from Massachusetts and Rhode Island acquired the operation in 1825, which they named the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. They built two larger mills and established Amoskeag Village to provide housing for their workers and other amenities. The company produced cotton textiles for mattresses, sheets, and shirts, as well as wool cloth. In 1831 the owners of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company were bought out by wealthy investors known today as the Boston Associates, who were developing textile manufacturing in Lowell, Massachusetts. The water power potential at Amoskeag Falls far exceeded what was available downriver at Lowell.

The Amoskeag became a stock corporation with the potential to raise large sums of money. It owned hundreds of acres of land on the west side of the Merrimack River, and also acquired 15,000 acres on the east side. In the 1830s the company built the first dam across the Merrimack at Amoskeag Falls, and built two water power canals parallel to the river.

The first brick textile mill completed by the company began operating in 1838, owned by the Stark Manufacturing Company. By 1915 the Amoskeag had built over 30 mills and other structures for itself and for other corporations. The Amoskeag Millyard, as it is now known, was a marvel of engineering and cohesive architectural design.

Industrialization and City Planning

The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was a real estate and power development company and a major manufacturer of textiles. From its incorporation in 1831 to it its dissolution in 1936, the Amoskeag exerted tremendous influence over the landscape, economy, and people of Manchester. Its mill yard still stretches for over a mile along the east bank of the Merrimack River, and two enormous Amoskeag mills loom over the river on the west side.

During the 19th Century, in addition to textiles, the company also produced steam locomotive engines, steam fire engines, and musket rifles for the Union Army during the Civil War. The company became famous for its fine cotton ginghams, and its denims were considered among the best made anywhere. In 1873 Levi Strauss & Co. began manufacturing its first “blue jeans” in San Francisco using Amoskeag denim. In the early 20th Century, the Amoskeag’s mill yard was known as the largest cotton textile plant in America.

The essential nature of the City as it exists today was set in motion by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. Its ownership of vast tracts of land enabled it to transform a sparsely settled town into a planned city. It set aside several streets east of the mill yard for its workers housing district, and laid out a wide boulevard, Elm Street, to serve as the main street. The company designed a neat grid system of streets and alleys fanning out from the downtown. In 1838 the company held the first in a series of land sales, selling building lots to private interests. It set aside considerable land for public parks and donated lots for schools and churches. Its real estate scheme encouraged commercial investment and the development of pleasant residential neighborhoods. The Amoskeag’s far-sighted City Plan was an early example of large-scale urban planning in the United States.