MHS Presents Bird Migration Patterns and Effects on Vermont March 17

The Manchester Historical Society is pleased to present Randy Schmidt, owner of the Vermont Bird Place in Manchester, on Wednesday, March 17. Schmidt will present a program on the changes in bird migration patterns and what those shifts have meant for Vermont. He'll discuss specific birds Vermonters used to see regularly, but no longer do-and why.

The Vermont Bird Place has a mission of helping people enjoy the wild birds that visit their backyard, providing them with the tools to enjoy wild birds wherever they find them. The shop's products include bird feeders of myriad varieties and bird feed. The Vermont Bird Place also sponsors regular bird walks and species counts.

The MHS meeting will take place at the First Congregational Church in Manchester Village at 7 pm. The meeting is free and open to the public. The site is handicapped accessible. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

American Museum of Fly Fishing Program

The Manchester Historical Society invites you to join us at the American Museum of Fly Fishing (just south of Orvis on Route 7A) on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at 7 pm for a
program on the fascinating history of the sport of fly fishing.

Ivan Beattie To Speak on the History of the Morgan Horse January 20

The Manchester Historical Society will present a talk by Ivan Beattie on the history of the Morgan horse on January 20, at 7pm, at the First Congregational Church. Beattie is manager of East of Equinox Farm in Manchester, which has been dedicated since 1958 to the preservation of the traditional Morgan horse.

The Morgan tradition began when Justin Morgan brought a young stallion named Figure to Vermont in the late 1700s. The horse quickly gained a reputation for being able to out-pull, out-trot, out-run and basically out-perform all the other horses of his time, regardless of their size or pedigree. His direct descendants were referred to as the “Morgan” horse, and they quickly became highly sought after because of their inherent ability to do anything and do it well.

Refreshments will be served. For more information e-mail manchesterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Holiday Concert December 16

The Manchester Historical Society is sponsoring a holiday concert called “The Bells of Christmas” on Wednesday, December 16, at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Manchester. The concert will be presented by the Tall Spire Ringers, the resident handbell choir of the First Congregational Church, directed by Lynne Welsh. A beautiful and delightful variety of Christmas music will be played on handbells and choirchimes. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Please join us to ring in the holidays and enjoy a festive holiday evening. For further information send us an e-mail: manchesterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

MHS Receives Gift For Building Campaign from Manchester Village Association

Marge Wilbur, a Manchester Village Association board member, presented Manchester Historical Society President Peter Campbell-Copp with a check for $3,500 at the society’s November 18 meeting. The amount is the remainder of the financial assets of the now-disbanded Manchester Village Association, which for over fifty years facilitated communication between the Village trustees and the non-voting summer residents of the town. Under the leadership of the late Michael Scelsi, the board decided that the organization had outlived its charter, and subsequently its assets were distributed to charities. The Village Association recently received the permission of Vermont Secretary of State Deb Markowitz to dissolve, and the remaining board members—Marge Wilbur, Marie Hodges, Diana Olcott, Diane Langevin, and Betty Wadsworth—chose to transfer the contents of its investment portfolio as a restricted gift to the Manchester Historical Society to help support its new headquarters. The Village Association gift is the first major monetary contribution toward renovation of the society’s prospective home on Route 7A South. For more information about the building campaign please e-mail manchesterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com or call Judy Harwood at 362-3708.

Learn More About A Famous Manchester Gathering Place November 18

Mike McCooey will give a presentation on MacNaughtan's, his family’s hotel business, on Wednesday, November 18, at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church in Manchester. McCooey's parents owned the hotel during the years he was growing up in Manchester.

Manchester Journal editor D.K. Simonds wrote in his book History of Manchester, published in 1915: "So far one large first class hotel seems to accommodate about all of that class of custom but there are two or three smaller hotels. The Orvis Cottage kept by C. F. Orvis and MacNaughton's by Ramsey MacNaughton, also a larger house the Orchard Park Hotel by Mrs. C. H. Willard. All of these accommodate quite a large number of guests."

Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.

For more information, please e-mail: manchesterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

Green Mountain Club President Marge Fish on the Long Trail October 21

Green Mountain Club President Marge Fish will explore the Long Trail, its creators, its history, as well as its ups and downs (both figurative and literal), on Wednesday, October 21, at 7 pm in the Kiva at Long Trail School. Between 1910 and 1930, the Green Mountain Club built the Long Trail, the nation’s oldest long-distance hiking path, and continues to maintain it. The meeting is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and new members are always welcome.