On October 22, 1851, the citizens of Manchester, New Hampshire, gathered to commemorate the centennial of Derryfield's incorporation, marking one hundred years since the establishment of the colonial township that preceded their rapidly expanding industrial city. The celebration represented an important moment in Manchester's civic history, connecting its eighteenth-century agricultural origins with the remarkable economic and demographic transformation underway during the nineteenth century. Through historical addresses, commemorative poetry, and public proceedings, residents recognized the community's development from a modest colonial settlement into one of New Hampshire's leading manufacturing centers. The occasion also produced a historical record that would contribute substantially to the preservation of Manchester's early history.
Derryfield received its colonial charter in 1751 under Governor Benning Wentworth, during an era when settlement and territorial organization were reshaping southern New Hampshire. The township incorporated lands associated with earlier settlements along the Merrimack River, including portions of territories connected with Londonderry and neighboring communities. The region's history extended considerably further into the past. Indigenous peoples, particularly the Pennacook, had long occupied the Merrimack Valley, where Amoskeag Falls provided important fishing grounds. The falls constituted a significant geographical feature that subsequently influenced European settlement, transportation, and industrial development.
Throughout the eighteenth century, Derryfield developed primarily as an agricultural community. Its inhabitants established farms, roads, religious institutions, and local government while participating in the broader political and military affairs of colonial New Hampshire. The community's historical associations included General John Stark, whose military service during the American Revolution established his enduring importance in New Hampshire history. Local historical accounts also preserved the experiences of early settlers and families whose activities shaped the town before industrialization transformed its character.
The transition toward industrial development accelerated during the early nineteenth century. Samuel Blodget recognized the commercial possibilities of the Merrimack River and promoted improvements intended to facilitate transportation around Amoskeag Falls. His canal project, completed in 1807, reflected ambitions to develop the surrounding community into a commercial and manufacturing center. In 1810, Derryfield officially adopted the name Manchester, referencing the English industrial city whose manufacturing success provided an influential model for American industrial development.
The establishment and expansion of textile manufacturing fundamentally transformed Manchester's economy. The Amoskeag Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1810, while the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, incorporated in 1831, became central to the city's subsequent industrial expansion. Manufacturing facilities, workers' housing, commercial establishments, and transportation improvements reshaped the urban landscape. These developments attracted workers and contributed to a substantial increase in population. Manchester's municipal government also evolved, culminating in its incorporation as a city in 1846. Hiram Brown became its first mayor that year.
By October 1851, Manchester had experienced changes that sharply distinguished it from the rural community established a century earlier. Its expanding textile industry connected local production with regional and national markets. Industrial employment increasingly defined its economic life, while municipal institutions assumed responsibilities associated with urban growth. The centennial consequently commemorated more than the passage of one hundred years. It publicly acknowledged the historical continuity between colonial Derryfield and industrial Manchester.
The proceedings included a historical address delivered by Reverend C. W. Wallace and commemorative poetry presented by William Stark. Their contributions formed part of a tradition of nineteenth-century New England civic commemorations in which historical narrative and public oratory preserved community memory. Such occasions emphasized local institutions, ancestral achievements, and the development of municipal government. Manchester's celebration documented the importance attached to historical remembrance during a period of rapid economic change.
The centennial acquired additional significance through the scholarship of Chandler Eastman Potter, whose monumental History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New Hampshire appeared in 1856. Potter incorporated the address, poetry, and other proceedings of the October 22 celebration into his extensive account of Manchester and the middle Merrimack Valley. His work examined Indigenous history, colonial settlement, military affairs, municipal development, and industrial expansion, preserving material important to subsequent historical research.
The October 22, 1851, centennial remains significant because it documented how Manchester understood and commemorated its transformation during the nineteenth century. By honoring Derryfield's incorporation while celebrating the accomplishments of an industrial city, residents connected successive stages of their community's development. The proceedings, particularly their preservation in Potter's historical scholarship, established a documentary legacy through which Manchester's colonial beginnings and early industrial achievements remain accessible to historians, genealogists, and later generations.
References / More Knowledge:
Brown, Janice W. (2015). “Manchester New Hampshire’s 1946 Centennial Celebration.” Cow Hampshire: New Hampshire's History Blog. https://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2015/08/14/manchester-new-hampshires-1946-centennial-celebration/
City of Manchester, New Hampshire. (n.d.). “About Our Government.” Office of the City Clerk. https://www.manchesternh.gov/departments/city-clerk/about-our-government
City of Manchester, New Hampshire. (n.d.). “History.” Manchester Fire Department. https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Fire/History
Potter, Chandler Eastman. (1856). The History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New Hampshire: Including That of Ancient Amoskeag, or the Middle Merrimack Valley; Together with the Address, Poem, and Other Proceedings of the Centennial Celebration of the Incorporation of Derryfield; at Manchester, October 22, 1851. Manchester, NH: C. E. Potter. Internet Archive, Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center Collection. https://archive.org/details/historyofmanches00pott
Potter, Chandler Eastman. (1856). The History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New Hampshire. Digitized edition, University of Michigan. Google Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=ejyMTVCiGwQC
University of Michigan and HathiTrust Digital Library. (n.d.). “The History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New Hampshire.” HathiTrust Catalog, bibliographic record for the 1856 edition. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001873646