USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Manchester > Manchester on the Merrimack, the story of a city > Part 15
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Frank French, noted throughout the country for his wood engravings, won distinction also with his oils. In this branch of art he was asso- ciated with Henry W. Herrick whose contribu- tions to Manchester's culture were outlined in
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the previous chapter. Henry Herrick's son, Allan, also did commendable work in wood engraving and attained a high degree of skill with water colors.
J. Warren Thyng, whose career included many years as drawing supervisor in the public schools, was another artist who left his im- pression on Manchester. His skill was more than that of the clever hand and observant eye: it included also the understanding spirit. And his instruction subtly awakened this spirit in his pupils.
Reverend Raphael Pfisterer deserves credit for skilled and careful work, his particular con- tribution being along the line of Christian Art. His name is associated with St. Anselm's Col- lege, founded in 1891, by the Benedictines. Built on the outskirts of Manchester this in- stitution has long been a force in the Catholic educational world.
Three hospitals were opened during this decade: the Elliot, made possible through the will of Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Elliot; the Sacred Heart, and the Notre Dame, the latter con- ducted by the Gray Nuns and built on land purchased in 1883 by Msgr. Pierre Hevey. In 1894, the new and commodious Children's Home, at the corner of Webster and Walnut Streets, was ready for occupancy.
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In March, 1890, the Board of Trade, in ad- vertising Manchester, mentioned the fact that the city had twenty-five churches, with three more projected. The list of new churches added to the city during these years is indeed an imposing one: the Swedish Baptist, St. Patrick's, St. George's, St. Anthony's, Bethel Advent, Trinity Methodist, St. James Metho- dist, Westminster Presbyterian, Swedish Evan- gelical and Christian Science.
The city Post Office was established in the new Federal Building on Hanover Street in 1891, on the site now occupied by its successor. In 1895 the City Hall underwent extensive al- terations, whereby the entrance was moved from Market to Elm Street and the main stair- way changed accordingly. The city govern- ment shared the mood of the moment, which was one of change and progress.
In 1893 the Board of Street and Park Com- missioners was created, which was to develop in 1910 into the Board of Public Works. The first list of commissioners included: George H. Stearns, L. P. Reynolds, and H. R. Simpson, with Allan Herrick acting as clerk. In Decem- ber of the same year, the first Police Commis- sion was established, consisting of Frank P. Carpenter, Noah S. Clark, and Judge Isaac Heath.
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In 1892, Michael J. Healy, already Sergeant of the Night Watch, took over the direction of the whole Police Department, a post he was to hold with notable distinction for forty-five years, during which he gave Manchester an en- viable reputation as virtually a crimeless city. Prohibition was a part of the New Hampshire law in those days, but its enforcement had been a matter of ridicule. No sooner had Chief Healy taken over the leadership of the Police Department, than he began ridding the com- munity of the "blind pigs", the kitchen bar- rooms, and all the rum-selling dives that were breeding centers of lawlessness and crime.
Within six years the liquor-selling places were reduced from three hundred and seventy to fifty and these fifty were "respectable", well- regulated, and operating under strict super- vision in a limited area. Technically, of course, their proprietors were evading the law, so they made periodical visits to court and unprotest- ingly paid a monthly fine of one hundred dol- lars. This was the famous "Healy system" which was copied far and wide, working with notable success in other cities.
Chief Healy's achievements were by no means limited to the liquor situation. He modernized the Police Department and de- veloped a staff of officers disciplined and effi-
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cient to a high degree. The electric signal sys- tem for communication between officers and headquarters, one of the first in the country, was among the innovations.
His work during the turbulent days of the 1922 strike in the Amoskeag mills was an out- standing example of his intelligent and skillful handling of difficult and dangerous situations. His abilities were recognized not only in the United States, but also abroad. He was the first treasurer of the International Conference of Police Chiefs, and a charter member of the International Association of Police Chiefs. He was at one time president of the New England Association of Police Chiefs.
Chief Healy died in 1937 after almost fifty years of continuous labor in Manchester's police service. He was succeeded by James F. O'Neil, who served as deputy-chief after the death in 1934 of the chief's son, Charles R. Healy, who was deputy for twenty years. Chief O'Neil, fitted for his task by temperament and background, was trained by the veteran chief himself, and he has consistently maintained the high standard set by his predecessor in the con- duct of his high office.
In 1893 the local Young Men's Christian Association gained a firm footing after years of inactivity. First organized in 1854, the mem-
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bership had dwindled so discouragingly when war claimed the city's youth that it was dis- organized in 1862. The attempt at revival in 1868 brought a few years of activity when the members met in the Masonic Temple building on Hanover Street. But enthusiasm lagged, and again in 1878 the group disbanded. This decade of the 90's, however, with its progress and enterprise, reawakened interest, and a suite of rooms was fitted up for occupancy in the Pembroke Block. In 1899 the association moved to the previous quarters of the Man- chester Gymnasium on Amherst Street, having purchased the building for ten thousand dollars. Here the organization remained until 1911, when it moved to the building on Mechanic Street, its present home, erected, following an intensive campaign for funds, at a cost of ap- proximately a hundred thousand dollars.
And what about manufacturing during these years?
In April, 1892, the Elliot Manufacturing Company organized the business known for so many years as "the silk mill" situated at the corner of Valley and Wilson Streets. It quickly became a popular custom among thrifty Man- chester housewives to visit the silk mill for re- plenishment of the family underwear at whole- sale prices.
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The same year brought the Hoyt Shoe Com- pany to the city and the erection of their large factory in the eastern part of the city. Two years previously the Crafts and Green Com- pany was organized and two years later the Eureka Shoe concern was established. Though it was not until 1902 that the McElwain Com- pany began to manufacture shoes in Man- chester, they belonged to this period of com- mercial development that brought the com- munity prominence as a shoe city. Later, the International Shoe Company, the Salvage Molloy Company, Shortell Shoes, Inc. and the Sibulkin Shoe Company were among the im- portant developments in this branch of indus- try. It is reported that in 1937 shoe manufac- turing in the city reached the twenty-five mil- lion dollar mark.
It was the shoe factories that attracted the members of the Greek race who began to filter into Manchester during this decade of the 90's. The first Greek had arrived around the year 1881, a solitary boy from the island of Salamis. He opened a store at 71 Spruce Street, laying the foundations for the thrifty Greek com- munity including shops, coffee houses, and most important of all "Nicky's" Macedonia Restau- rant, familiar to Manchester folk today. George Copadis came in 1903, soon to be followed by
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his brothers and other members of the family, who have been leaders in the Greek colony that now numbers some seven thousand. Like the Polish people who also comprise a sizable group within the city, the Greeks have become loyal, staunch Americans, appreciative of the advantages of their adopted country. The fol- lowing letter, from a Greek boy to his mother is significant. After one year in the community, he wrote, "Manchester is beautiful because here is such peace as Thessaly cannot give; here are great factories where there is work, and money such as there is not in all Greece."
On April 23, 1898, President William Mc- Kinley issued a call for volunteers in the war with Spain. New Hampshire's Governor and Council chose for this service the Third Regi- ment, under the command of Colonel Robert H. Rolfe of Concord, but in order to bring it up to full strength, it was necessary to call two companies each from the First and Second Regiments. Manchester's proud Sheridan Guards were ready, responding to a man. The reputation of this outfit was an enviable one and there was always a long waiting list, so that overnight the organization could be brought up to full war time strength. Patriotism was at fever pitch on that morning of May, when the Guards captained by William Sullivan paraded
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through the streets prior to entraining for camp at Concord. Mayor William C. Clarke had re- quested that the public schools should all be closed and that the principals should escort the pupils in their charge to Elm Street in order that they might witness, and he hoped re- member, this moment when a city was sending her youth to war. Thus it was that when the marching soldiers rounded the corner from Lowell to Elm Street, they were greeted by the enthusiastic cheers and flag-waving of Man- chester's combined school-strength, the private schools having joined the others for this great demonstration. On May 17, the troops were on their way south, having been ordered to Camp George H. Thomas in Georgia. Again there was intense excitement as the three trains conveying the boys from Concord passed through Manchester. The first train halted briefly after drawing into the station, but the second and third only slackened speed as they passed the madly cheering crowd that lined the tracks.
The boys were on their way-
But they never reached the front. On two different occasions, there were preliminary orders that indicated an early move to the firing-line, but final orders never came through. So week after week the Sheridan Guards
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stayed on at Camp George H. Thomas, being put through stiff drills, marches, inspections and suffering from the ravages of typhoid and malaria. Over seventy-five per cent were stricken with these diseases, some fatally. Corporal William H. Derwin was the first Manchester man to lose the battle with the fever, the first local casualty in the war with Spain. July brought the victory of Sampson's fleet, and by October the Guards were all back in New Hampshire and had been mustered out of the service.
And so the tumult and the shouting ceased, for the time being, and Manchester, resuming her normal pace, approached the opening door of the new century.
MANCHESTER CITY LIBRARY
Manchester and the New Century
In March, 1900, the Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences, organized in 1898, opened its quarters in the Kennard Building. The year was still new, the century was new, and this unostentatious development of a fresh cultural factor in the city's life may be regarded as sig- nificant and as somehow sounding the keynote of modern Manchester. The values represented by this institution were the values destined to have an important bearing on the city's future -destined, indeed, to play a conspicuous role
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in saving it some decades later. Without this respect and regard for the intangibles, Man- chester in 1936 might have suffered the fate of a ghost-city. But the respect and regard were there, nurtured by the strong emphasis on non- material developments so apparent in the century's early years.
It is impossible to over-stress the significance of this institution, which has grown steadily through the years, and which has performed a double service to the community. On the one hand it has stimulated and encouraged indi- vidual talent by offering valuable guidance and instruction in the various departments-fine arts, music, literature, home economics, natural science and social science. Under the able leadership of Rudolph Schiller, the Music De- partment has developed a symphony orchestra whose programs exhibit a high degree of skill and whose thrice-yearly concerts are a delight to music lovers. Normal and commercial art courses have the approval of the State Board of Education and award certificates to those com- pleting the prescribed work. Extension lectures through the cooperation of the University of New Hampshire are also features of the Insti- tute program.
Quite as important as these functions, how- ever, is the institution's service to the com-
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munity by way of its entertainment courses which provide opportunity for sharing in the best of America's cultural offerings. These courses of lectures, concerts and cinema pro- grams are furnished by thoughtful friends or through funds provided in the bequests of former Institute members. Since 1916, the activities of this organization, entertainments and classes alike, have been carried on within the ample and beautifully-proportioned build-
INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 1916
1
ing on the corner of Concord and Pine Streets, made possible by the generosity of Mrs. Emma Blood French. She it was who caught the vision of Albert L. Clough, for many years the guide and the driving force within the Institute, and made it an assured reality, adequately housed in a structure the architecture of which expresses its purpose.
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It was Mrs. French, also, who with her brother-in-law, Frank P. Carpenter, provided another of Manchester's most beautiful build- ings, the Blood Memorial Parish House, given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Aretas Blood, both of whom had contributed so significantly to the building not only of the Franklin Street parish, but of the city. This Parish House ministers to many outside the immediate church group, its auditorium being used for meetings of various kinds and its impressively simple chapel being open at all hours for those who would seek strength and inspiration from its quietude and peace.
The Parish House was only one of the many benefactions of a man in whom were merged to an unusual and rare degree keen business sense, far-sighted vision and a deep awareness of the responsibilities of wealth: the late Frank P. Carpenter. And Manchester, the city to which he came as a young man and in which he spent almost the entire period of his adult life, was immeasurably enriched, materially and cul- turally, by his identification with all her in- terests and his never-failing response to all her needs. He gave liberally, not only financial aid, but time, thought and the wisdom of his wide experience, that his city might be served.
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His generosity and interest in the preserva- tion of the city's past provided the beautiful Historic Association building on Amherst Street, dedicated in 1932. He was one of three, with Mrs. Walter Parker and Mrs. Charlotte Parker Milne, who donated the site of "Hill House", and he was actively instrumental in bringing to completion, in 1929, this new home of the local Y. W. C. A. When plans were afoot for the new Federal Building in 1932, it was Mr. Carpenter who provided, at his own expense, the services of Architect E. L. Tilton of New York, and made possible the finely-proportioned and adequate building that houses the Post Office and other government departments. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Carpenter Hotel, and he gave the land for the Boy Scout Camp in Auburn.
Most important of all his gifts, perhaps, is the Carpenter Memorial Library, given in memory of his wife, Elenora Blood Carpenter. The corner stone of this beautiful structure, at the head of Victory Park, facing the mountains to the west, was laid on June 11, 1913, with Mayor Charles C. Hayes the presiding officer. At the conclusion of the oration of the day, by Hon. Henry E. Burnham, a huge five-ton block of Concord granite was swung into place, and
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Mr. Carpenter applied the mortar along its length. Within the stone were sealed records, newspapers, cloth produced in the Amoskeag Mills, and other articles of historic interest. The invocation was given by Rev. Burton W. Lockhart, and Rev. Thomas Chalmers pro- nounced the benediction. The ceremony was one of great impressiveness, as was the dedica- tion in November of 1914. Edwin F. Jones, chairman of the library trustees, presided at this exercise which included orations by His Excellency Samuel D. Felker, governor of New Hampshire, and Rev. Burton W. Lockhart. There was memorable symbolism in the moment when Mr. Carpenter delivered the keys of the building to Mayor Charles C. Hayes. The past, from the days when the old Atheneum ministered to the few, merged with the future when numberless men and women would find within the doors opened by these keys the knowledge and the inspiration that books pro- vide. The occasion offered other symbolisms: the potential transmutation of wealth into wis- dom, the sure and inevitable interdependence of the material and the spiritual, the creation of substantial reality from the vision of one man.
The small hilltop surmounted by the Carpen- ter Memorial Library might be regarded as the
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Mecca of those who seek the things of mind and spirit. Only a few rods to the north is the Institute, and a bit to the southwest is the Historic Association building, where Manches- ter's yesterdays are given suitable recognition and the dignity of appropriate and intelligent care. Diagonally opposite is the Catholic Center, headquarters for Catholic philanthro- pic work in New Hampshire.
Standing on the steps of the Library one faces the distant Uncanoonucs, those guardians of Manchester over at the west. In the imme- diate foreground is Victory Park, with its im- pressively simple monument to the memory of those who paid the supreme sacrifice to pre- serve the values represented by this group of buildings. It is as if the hooded figure with the scroll were keeping watch, silently warning that without the care and concern of each succeeding generation these values will perish, and these men have died in vain.
Another institution that belongs with this group, though separated from it by several blocks, is the Currier Gallery of Art. It was in 1917 that Moody Currier died, leaving his estate to his wife, with the stipulation that at her death it should be placed in the hands of a board of trustees, for the ultimate purpose of building an art gallery on the site of the
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Currier home. Moody Currier possessed a rare combination of characteristics. A banker and an able lawyer, he was also a scholar, a linguist who spoke seven languages, and a poet who wrote creditable verse for the sheer pleasure of it. Thus it was natural that he should wish his fortune to minister to the cultural development of his city. By the year 1926, the time seemed ripe to undertake the proj- ect, and the Currier mansion, occupying the
CURRIER GALLERY OF ART 1929
square between Orange, Ash, Myrtle and Beech Streets, was razed in preparation for the new building.
In October, 1929, the new building was dedi- cated with suitable ceremonies. With its classic architecture, its rare mosaics at the southern entrance, its beautifully landscaped setting, and its perfectly proportioned exterior, it might be
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said to symbolize the Greek ideal of harmony and balance that, bridging time and space, has become part of the growing pattern in this small New England community. Mrs. Maud Briggs Knowlton ably performed the duties of director from the gallery's opening until 1947, when Gordon Smith became her successor. The Gal- lery is constantly adding to its permanent col- lection of rare paintings and other treasures and its activities include exhibitions of the works of nationally-known artists, lectures and other entertainments in keeping with its pur- pose. The monthly bulletins published by the director, calling attention to the current ex- hibitions and offering brief biographies of the artists, are among the valuable services of the institution. The Currier Art Center, in the house directly opposite the Gallery, on Beech Street, is designed to be used as a children's museum and a meeting place for the children's art classes.
On Amherst Street only a scant few rods from the Historic Association building stands the large four-story brick structure, erected in 1932 by the Union-Leader Publishing Com- pany. It is rather interesting to consider these two buildings and what they represent as offer- ing a study in contrasts. In the one, old Man- chester, old Derryfield, lives and breathes again.
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Strolling through the Historic Association's well-lighted galleries, pausing to study an out- moded fire engine or a portrait by Custer, one becomes satisfyingly aware of yesterday's im- mortality. In the other, where the keys of the A. P. machine click out sharp staccato records of Arabian uprisings or the latest report of the committee on atomic research, one senses world-news of tomorrow almost before it hap- pens. A city's newspaper plant is its nerve center, with live fibres extending to the far quarters of the globe.
This statement is true today, but it must be admitted that up to the year 1912, the news- paper fibres in Manchester were very short. They didn't extend much farther than the boundaries of the state. And those that stopped at city limits were in the majority. In this ab- breviation of reach, they only followed the trends and traditions of the day. Journalism in the 19th century, for the greater part was po- litical propaganda plus local news with, in some cases, a brief daily resumé of foreign and domes- tic affairs. But in 1912 there arrived in Man- chester two men from Michigan, full of energy, enthusiasm and ideas. They were Frank Knox (later to become war-time Secretary of the Navy) and John Muehling, who together had already won laurels in the newspaper field as
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publishers of the Sault St. Marie News. They came at the invitation of Robert P. Bass and Winston Churchill, prominent agents in the Bull Moose movement in New Hampshire, and they launched in Manchester an evening news- paper, The Leader, announcing that they would print news without fear or favor; that politi- cally they were Progressives, and that it was their intention to fight for the election of Theodore Roosevelt as president of the United States. And they prospered mightily, prospered in spite of the fact that Woodrow Wilson swept the country, carrying the Bull Moose movement down to defeat. The end of their hopes in that direction was by no means the end of their en- thusiasm for their adopted city and the Evening Leader. They turned their energies to the task of promoting the interests of Manchester and the state of New Hampshire. In 1913 they bought the Manchester Union, and in 1924 the Union and Leader Publishing Company pur- chased the Manchester Daily Mirror. Thus, the two Manchester dailies of 1948, the New Hampshire Morning Union and the Man- chester Evening Leader, now under the direc- tion of William Loeb and Leonard Finder, have direct ancestors in the very beginnings of journalism in the city.
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It is rather interesting to go back through the years and follow the trail of newspaper history in Manchester. The Mirror traced its lineage, through the Manchester Mirror and American, back to the Amoskeag Memorial founded in 1840, only a year after John Cald- well's Representative, the first paper in the city. In 1841 this paper became the Manchester Memorial, and three years later the Manchester American. In 1863 it was consolidated with the Mirror, which was founded in 1850, and was carried on with marked success by the Clarke family, John B. and his two sons, Arthur and William.
The Union, founded in 1863, had a direct an- cestor in the Union Democrat which came into existence in 1851. This Union Democrat must not be confused with the Manchester Democrat founded in April, 1842, by W. H. Kimball and Joseph Kidder. George L. Kibbee, writing in the Union of 1913 said: "The Union opened its eyes upon a world shrouded in the deep gloom of the saddest days of civil war-it took its place among those champions of the Federal Union and the Constitution who believed that the union could be preserved by a new agree- ment with the southern states, based not upon the utter wreck of the South, but upon a recog- nition of the Southern point of view."
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