Millyard Museum exhibit addresses Millyard rebirth, revitalization and renaissance

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Coming to America
‘Coming to America.”

MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Historic Association recently completed a major update to its Woven in Time exhibit at the Millyard Museum. This new section of the exhibit picks up the storyline of Manchester’s past following the bankruptcy of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in 1936.

This history includes the redevelopment of the Millyard by Amoskeag Industries, the new businesses that came to Manchester in the 1940s and 1950s, the urban renewal projects of the 1960s and 1970s, and the revitalization of the Millyard in the 1980s and 1990s that was started by Dean Kamen.

“One of the museum’s long-term goals has been to tell the story of what happened to the Millyard in the last half of the 20th century,” said MHA Director of Operations Jeffrey Barraclough.  “Visitors can now learn how city leaders diversified industry in the Millyard (thereby gaining fame as ‘The City That Wouldn’t Die)’ and also explore both sides of the urban renewal debate that raged in the 1960s.”

Urban Renewal wall
Urban Renewal wall.

Included in the new exhibit is the “Amoskeag” March of Time news reel produced in 1937 that documents the closing of Amoskeag and the opening of new industries in the Millyard.  Other new components of the exhibit include a section on the anthrax outbreak at Arms Textile and an expanded section on immigration to the city.

The project was completed with funding from the Norwin S. and Elizabeth N. Bean Foundation, with additional support from Amoskeag Industries, Inc. and the Cogswell Benevolent Trust.  The Manchester-based Bailey Donovan design firm created and installed the exhibit.


Founded in 1896, the Manchester Historic Association is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization with the mission to collect, preserve and share the history of Manchester, New Hampshire, USA.  The Association operates the Millyard Museum and the Research Center, both of which are open to the general public.  The Association presents a variety of public programs including lectures, walking tours and concerts, and also school programs for students from kindergarten through college.  Call (603) 622-7531 for more information, or visit www.manchesterhistoric.org.

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