National Register of Historic Places

Main Street Historic District

Manchester, Hartford County, Connecticut
Listed
April 17, 1996
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
96000428

About this property

The Main Street Historic District encompasses most of the historic central business district of Manchester, Connecticut. It runs along Main Street between Eldridge and Center Streets, including the cluster of civic and municipal buildings at Center Park. The district was largely built up between 1890 and 1940, and includes a remarkable concentration of high-quality Colonial Revival construction. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Manchester was settled in the 17th century, but remained an essentially agricultural community until the 19th century. Its industrial growth was spurred most significantly by the Cheney Brothers silk manufacturing operation, established in 1838 and one of the most successful businesses of its type in the world. Main Street is a north-south thoroughfare east of the Cheney mills, and was developed over the period 1890-1940 to become the town's principal commercial area. The Cheney family were influential in this trend, building commercial buildings and donating land for parks and municipal facilities. The historic district is anchored at the north end by Center Memorial Park, at the junction of Main and Center Streets. The park, whose land was donated by the Cheneys, is also home to the Cheney Memorial Library, also a Cheney donation, as was the probate court building adjacent to the library. Extending south as far as Edridge Street are a mixed collection of primarily commercial buildings. A significant majority of them are basically Colonial Revival in style, and as a group, form a distinctive catalog of adaptive changes in this style over time. National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut

Location

Manchester, Hartford County, Connecticut
41.77213, -72.52078

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Everything a full report reveals about Main Street Historic District

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

US Post Office-Manchester Main
Industrial
0.3 mi
Manchester Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Cheney Brothers Historic District
Listed
0.5 mi
Manchester Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
1.3 mi
Woodbridge Farmstead
Industrial
1.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Main Street Historic District listed on the National Register?

Main Street Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1996.

What type of historic resource is Main Street Historic District?

Main Street Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Main Street Historic District?

The period of significance for Main Street Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Main Street Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Main Street Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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