a stroll down
memory lane
A LOOK AT HISTORIC MANCHESTER VILLAGE
H
istoric Main Street in Manchester Village is the perfect after-dinner
stroll when summer’s sunset is late in the evening or on those bright,
foliage-glorious mornings in autumn. The entire district was listed
in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because of its
significance as an early 19th century New England resort, anchored by a fine hotel
that “catered to the highest classes of society.”
The terrain along this
part of Main Street
slopes moderately; the
pace is easy and the
sidewalks are paved,
although uneven in
places. Allow about 30
minutes; the loop is less
than 3/4 mile. On the
map Main Street is
Route VT 7A.
Begin at the Soldiers Monument in front of the First
Congregational Church, just north of the corner of Main Street
and Union Street. This address is 3598 Main Street.
The figure atop the Soldiers Monument represents a
Colonial era officer, but the Monument was meant to
honor all veterans from Manchester. Dedicated in 1905,
the base and figure were carved at Fullerton's Marble and
Granite Works in Manchester Depot, but, according to the
Manchester Historical Society’s curator, Shawn Harrington,
“We have no proof positive for who stands atop the
pedestal.” Did someone in town pose for the carver? Or is it
the likeness of the carver himself ? Stop to read the wayside
marker about the Revolutionary War (the large green sign on the sidewalk behind
the monument).
Right off the bat, everyone who walks along this street delights in the marble
sidewalks, made up of slabs and irregular bits from the quarries in nearby Dorset.
By 1890, four miles in Manchester were paved in marble, and using this material
made perfect sense. Why go to the bother and expense of buying and laying costly
bricks or pouring concrete sidewalks when the most abundant material around just
34 manchester life | www.manchesterlifemagazine.com