Going beyond an antique or vintage postcard’s image can sometimes lead to some of the juiciest historical tidbits. Insert a couple of quick eyebrow raises. A rather stilted recitation of Manchester, NH history (but still a good source of historical info), was where I found my juicy tidbits this time – Manchester, Hillsborough County, NH – History and Genealogy .
Antique train postcard of Manchester, NH railroad station
The page starts out in 1604, but let’s jump to 1839. You ask, “What happened in September, 1839?” I’ll tell you. Jeremiah Johnson was killed by Elbridge Ford. Elbridge was tried the next year and found guilty of manslaughter. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but pardoned after three; not much justice for Jeremiah. Why was this murder notable? The page’s entry just previous to this tells of a vote to establish a system of police – in October, 1839! There is nothing like a murder to light a fire under a town’s butt. Unfortunately, this was too late for poor Jeremiah.
Let’s jump ahead to 1853 to when Bayley, Blood, and Company, or Vulcan Works, was established. Sorry Trekki fans, no relation to Spock. In 1854, Vulcan Works became Manchester Locomotive Works. By 1875, Manchester Locomotive Works had turned out 786 locomotives (beyond capacity). That’s a lot of trains. I wonder if any of them are still around.
Where does Levi come into this story? Around 1873, Levi Strauss started making what became their famous “blue jeans” or riveted clothing. The denim for them was made at Manchester’s Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. Cool.
* You can find more railroad station postcards in my store, Remember When Vintage Postcards.
