MANCHESTER, NH – The year 1975 was a turning point for Manchester’s Millyard. The Millyard’s urban renewal project had recently been completed with the filling in of the canals and demolition of about 25% of the mill space, and many of the businesses that came into the Millyard in the 1930s and 1940s had left, leaving a large amount of the Millyard vacant.
In September 1975, a special exhibit opened at the Currier Gallery of Art called “Amoskeag, A Sense of Place, A Way of Life”. The exhibit was designed by Randolph Langenbach, an architectural historian, and featured historic images of the mills, along with contemporary photographs taken by Langenbach before and during the urban renewal project. Also featured in the exhibit were machinery and architectural components of the mill buildings that had been salvaged by Langenbach, as well as recollections of former millworkers who told what it was like to work in the mills and live in corporation housing.
The exhibit was very successful, attracting double the number of visitors to the Currier than any previous exhibit. It also served to instill in the city and its citizens a deeper appreciation for the mills and the legacy of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, as well as for the remaining mill buildings.
In the fifty years since the Amoskeag exhibit opened at the Currier, Manchester has grown to have a deeper appreciation of the history of the Amoskeag mills. This exhibit at the Millyard Museum will examine the lasting impact that the mills have had on Manchester and feature elements of the original 1975 exhibit as well as never-before-seen photographs taken by Langenbach.
- WHERE: Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester
- WHEN: Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 5:30 – 8 p.m.
- COST: Free
Please RSVP by calling 603-622-7531 or emailing history@manchesterhistoric.org
Event Note
For advanced registration, please contact the Millyard Museum at (603) 622-7531, or by mail at 200 Bedford Street, Suite 103, Manchester, NH 03101. Or, drop by the reception desk at either the Millyard Museum or the Research Center during open hours.
You may also register by e-mail: history@manchesterhistoric.org. Please note that credit card payments cannot be accepted via e-mail, but may be made over the telephone at (603) 622-7531.