The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-10
MANCHESTER NOW
WASHING TON WARD.
The Good Old Town as 1t Was
and as 1t Is to
Be.
APART OF GREATER RICHMOND
Manchester Hops Off the Map,
but Becomes Much Greater
by So Doing.
A PART OF GREATER RICHMOND
NY FRANK 8. wooDsON.
rnduatrio1 Edifor.

Industrial Editor.
Unless there shall come slip 'twixt
tho cup and the lip, and at the present
writing there seems no probability OIL
It, the good old town OF Manchester
will pass off the map OF Virginia on
the 18th instant, and all OF that de-
llghtful territory on the south side OF
the James known since the very early
days as Manchester--all OF those mag
n!lcent manufacturing sites, all those
educational and religious and social
advantages that Manchester, with an
energy and a bravery that has SO
long been prominent in spite of han
dicaps OF one kind and another. has
kept before the worid--will be In
corporated In the territory OF Greater
Richmond" This addition to Rich
nond is no small matter. and that tho
average reader may know Just what
has been gained by annexation. IL
may be we'll enough TO take a parting
look a. Manchester as It was and as 1t
is
Old-Time Manchester.
According to the rather obscure
records. that may be more or less cor
rect. Manchester as II was. or. perhaps,
as It ts. is the second Oldest town in
Virginia. and therefore the second old
est town in America There lis a
effect that Manchester was settled and
became village very soon after
Jamestown. and three-quarters of g.
century before old man William Penn
laid off Philadelphia, and very close
to a quarter OF century before the
Plymouth Rock folks got on the shores
OF New England This data, II II be
correct. and nobody has yet arisen to
question its authenticity. makes Man
Sh set Ia III, ~ ha of,E
nond. believe in the truth of all
OF this data. because only three days
ago I was talking with a very aged
citizen OF Manchester, and while hel
would not confess that he was in any
way familiar with this Colonial his
tory OF 900 and more years ago, adj
nlitted that he was nearing the eighty
year mark, and what he could not
recollect personally he could verify by
written statements and other docu-
rents in his possession that went at
least 200 years beyond his own recol-
lection. He believes in this old data.
and so do I. although l could not take
the time to go through II. Manchester
IS indeed a very old town. and the
wonder to me is that in the terms oil
consolidation the city fathers OF what
is now washington Ward did not in
Eist that the name of the greater city
mond. but that question is now beyond
the pale OF discussion.
Many HandIcaps.
Man chester with its miles OF streets.
Its splendid territory. Its acres OF river
front, its magnificent residential sites,
It's many inducements to manu-
facturers of all kinds. its taxable
values. and all OF It's other advantages
In educational. religious and social
ways. has become a part of Richmond.
and truly Richmond appreciates this
splendid addition.
Manchester as 1t was, had man,
i1andicaps. In the first place Rich
mond always overshadowed It, I'll
may have been Manchester's fault that
It did. because in the days that went
to make up the records OF more or
less brilliant past. Manchester had
several opportunities to outbid Rich
mond for big things in a commercial
way. 1t was only a few weeks ago
that I told in this Industrial Sec
ton how Manchester had the first bid
at the Virginia Kanawha Canal and
turned 1t down because OF the dread
of mosquitoes that the then city
fathers thought would sail up and
down the James ct pleasure and land
III Manchester IL they had a canal upon
which to sail. In later days big
sought
homes in Manchester, and were turned
down for reasons that We're lust as
trivial and Just as absurd as the
mosquito proposition. In word,
Manchester might have been as large
or even larger than Richmond had II
20 desired. Why it did not so desire
[ don't know.
Playing Second Fiddle.
Notwithstanding these drawba cks
Ind handicaps. Manchester has grown
In way. but its growth has been a
tort of postscript to Greater Richmond
FOR nine out Of ten of the big enter
pr!scs that have had their foundation
stones laid on the banks of the south
kide of the James River have had their
offices in Richmond, and did their mail
Ing business and their banking bust
hess and pretty much all the other
kinds of business on the north side
pf the river. Naturally. Manchester has
always been part OF Richmond, and
i was the proper thing that 1t should
be In name what it was In effect and
IN fact.
But separate and apart from Rich
p1ond. Manchester was a pretty good
Town in its way. The figures and
FACTS that I picked up the other day
concerning the good town may be
worth preservation. They will at least
ihoW what splendid assets the consoli.