Manchester in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Founding of Manchester
Photographed by Joel Seewald, September 4, 2022
1. The Founding of Manchester Marker
The intersection of Main and Adrian Streets is considered the "heart" of downtown Manchester, and the first commercial buildings were constructed here in 1832-1833.
- Congress passed the General Land Act of 1820, which provided for the sale of public lands in smaller lots at a lower price than had earlier been the case.
- The Erie Canal opened in 1825, making it possible to travel from the Atlantic Coast to Detroit of Monroe entirely by water, lowering costs and time involved in travel.
- Maps of the previously unknown interior of Michigan were published and distributed in the East, providing critical information to both settlers and speculators.
- In 1825, Congress authorized funds for the creation of the Chicago Pike or Road,
a miliary route intended to link the forts in Detroit and Chicago, making land transport easier to the region.
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The survey for Manchester Township was completed in February 1824 by John Mudget Mack of Pontiac, Michigan, accompanied by Hosey Harris and Oliver Parker. These three men are the first documented individuals to traverse what is now downtown Manchester. Figure 1 shows a detail from the township survey map, noting that a "good mill seat" exists at the Section 2 and 11 boundary. This note was made by Mack while standing alongside
Photographed by Joel Seewald, September 4, 2022
2. The Founding of Manchester Marker
Figure 1 1824 Manchester Township - "A Good Mill Seat" - Future Site of Manchester
The steep elevation drop in the River Raisin at this location provided the potential for water-powered mills, which were essential to 1830s agricultural and commercial development. In addition to being a government-employed surveyor, John Mack and his father were members of the Pontiac Land Company, investors in land. The Pontiace Land Company had a business relationship throughout the 1820s with John Gilbert, the manager of the Rochester (N.Y.) Land Company, also seeking land investment opportunities in Michigan. Thus, it is likely that in 1825, John Mack conveyed to Gilbert the knowledge he had gained about the water power potential of the future Manchester site. This allowed Gilbert to make his initial purchase of 80 acres in May 1826 at the site of the "good mill seat", well ahead of land speculators and developers who would arrive when the Michigan land rush started around 1830. In 1831, Gilbert also purchased 160 acres of land north of his initial River Raisin frontage, the land which is now downtown Manchester.
The connections between Mack and Gilbert also extended to James H. Fargo and his brother Stephen Fargo, entrepreneurs and land investors from New York, all of whom lived and worked together in Manlius Town, New York in the 1810s. The Fargo brothers, the Mack family and Gilbert also worked with Shepherd Knapp (Figure 2), a wealthy New York City banker and investor in both the fur trade and land development in Michigan. Knapp traveled to Detroit often, and he and his wife Catherine eventually became 50% owners of what was the Village of Manchester in 1835, and partial owners/mortgagors of the Manchester Mill. With these partners, Gilbert also purchased approximately 90 parcels of river frontage/mill sites extending from Jefferson in Jackson County to Rochester in Oakland County. Gilbert and Stephen Fargo also invested heavily in Ypsilanti, purchasing adjacent tracts in the late 1820s.
Figure 2 Shepherd Knapp - Major Investor in Manchester
After his survey contract was completed, John Mack moved to Rochester, Michigan, where he opened that village's first hotel in 1828. By 1834 he relocated to Hamtramck Townhsip, where he held several prominent positions, including Supervisor and Clerk. Mack Avenue in Detroit is named after him.
The new couple settled in Manlius, New York, and John began a prosperous career of surveying, civil engineering and land speculation, achieving considerable wealth. John served as a cavalry quartermaster in the War of 1812, achieving the rank of major. After the war, he accepted large commissions from Governor Clinton to survey and construct the Erie Canal, where he worked with Orange Risdon, the founder of Saline [Michigan]. He relocated to Rochester, New York, and developed several mill-related industries. But with the growing anti-Masonic movement of the early 1830s, John and family relocated to Ypsilanti. There he quickly became a prominent investor, developer of the first railroad in the area, and the village's first supervisor.
By spring 1832, John Gilbert turned his attention to the Manchester River Raisin lands he had acquired in 1826 and 1831. He viewed the location just north of the border of Sections 2 and 11, which straddled his land holdings, as the ideal location for a village, being in a large burr oak plain, with excellent river elevation drop and steep surrounding topography. He commissioned the construction of a dam, mill race, bridge and grist mill by engaging Emanuel Case as a general contractor and mill operator, and William S. Carr and Elijah Carr, to prepare timber for the mill. He also sent in his son Harry H. Gilbert as overseer and carpenter.
In 1833, Gilbert commissioned a survey and plat for the future village, which was prepared by prominent surveyor Hiram Burnham, and is shown in Figure 3. This original plat consisted of 14 blocks, with some street names assigned. The village concept centered around a "public square" with prominent homes and churches around it, evoking his New England youth. It is noted that Manchester in 1833 consisted of two mills (saw and grits), one house, one barn, one store, one dam and one bridge, all clustered at the river. This is also the first recorded use of the name "Manchester".
Figure 3 First Plat of Manchester
Gilbert continued to acquire property in the Manchester area up to October 9, 1835. On November 23, 1835, he sold all remaining parcels he owned in the village area (i.e., approximately 440 acres) to Stephen Fargo for the price of $8,000. This equates to about $18.00 per acre, versus the $1.25 per acre he originally paid for it. Stephen Fargo then brought in his brother James and wife Eliza, and Shepherd and Catherine Knapp, as co-owners.
Figure 4 Manchester Mill, circa 1880
The earliest non-photographic view of the mill and downtown Manchester is found in a lithograph created by Benjamin Matthias of Philadelphia, circa 1854, shown in Figure 5. The lithograph was financed by local merchants seeking to promote Manchester, and was subsequently published by Bechler and Wenig, surveyors and map publishers in Philadelphia.
Figure 5 Earliest Known View of Manchester
In examining the Manchester image, it is apparent that the view is from the top of Ann Arbor Hill, looking south and west across the village. The view is somewhat idealized, but the important fact is that the steeples of the Methodist and Baptist Churches, on the north and south sides of Main Street respectively, are accurately profiled. The view of the mill profile with a gable roofline matches a photograph of John Gilbert's Huron Mill in Ypsilanti (built approximately the same time as Gilbert's original 1833 Manchester Mill), leading us to believe this is an accurate view of the rebuilt mill after the fire, replicating the original.
We are able to learn much about the early operations of the Manchester Mill and the resident Fargo & Fargo general store due to preservation of the early mill and store ledger books by William G. Fargo, grandson of James Harvey Fargo. These ledgers also provide surprising information about early Manchester settlers' lifestyles.
As an example, the ledger page for John Gilbert is shown in Figure 6. We see Gilbert purchased goods from August 21, 8133 through April 22, 1835. Among other things, he bought "sundries", glass, a silk camblet, mackerel, brooms, sugar, tea, coffee, whiskey, a stove, mittens and cranberries. A camblet is woven fabric with images embedded or burned into the fabric. For whatever reason Gilbert bought the camblet, he returned it for a full refund two months later! Cranberries were considered at the time a preventive medicine. You could buy food such as salted or smoked fish, clothing, hardware, sewing supplies, drinks of all kinds, and, apparently, place an order for something unusual to be shipped in.
Figure 6 John Gilbert's Ledger Page at Fargo & Fargo General Store
Given these facts and the realization that John Gilbert's motivation was to promote and develop his new village, its water power potential and available water rights, and of course to earn quick profits, it is evident that he was seeking a name that would pique both emigrant and financial interest in his new Michigan village with its tremendous water power potential. American society and government in the 1810-1840 period also wanted to be free of dependency on British finished goods, and to develop their own industrial base. The naming and renaming of so many of America's early communities over this 30 year period was an attempt to establish themselves as potential equals of their British namesake, in part by taking advantage of the name recognition of Manchester, England. Figure 7 shows a contemporary depiction of Manchester, England with its industrial prosperity, the goal of its namesake towns in America.
Figure 7 1840s Depiction of Thriving Manchester, England
Created: October 2016
Support from 2016 Community Tourism Action Plan
Funded by: Washtenaw County CVB and Village of Manchester DDA
Graphics by Sue Maher, Moxie Grafix LLC
Research and content provided by the Manchester Area Historical Society. Further details on the subject matter contained herein is available through the Manchester Area Historical Society.
Erected 2017.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1824.
Location. 42° 8.991′ N, 84° 2.321′ W. Marker is in Manchester, Michigan, in Washtenaw County. It is on East Main Street north of Adrian Street, on the left when traveling south. Marker is in front of the former Manchester Mill building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 East Main Street, Manchester MI 48158, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: History of the Manchester Mill (here, next to this marker); Exchange Place (a few steps from this marker); Village of Manchester (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Life on a Manchester Corner (about 300 feet away); The Manchester Hotel and the Clinton Street Corner (about 400 feet away); Village of Manchester Sesquicentennial/The Kingsley-Jenter House (about 400 feet away); Fountain-Bessac House (about 500 feet away); Manchester's Railroads (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manchester.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2022, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 363 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 15, 2022, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
