Thursday, October 29
5:30 PM – 7 PM
Manchester Community Library

“A country newspaper… should not seek to create and control public opinion, but to furnish the means by which public opinion may find utterance.”

With those ambitious words, publisher Charles A. Pierce launched The Manchester Journal in May 1861, just weeks after the outbreak of the Civil War. Over 165 years later, the paper remains a weekly snapshot of life in the Northshire and beyond. Join us for a fascinating journey through the history of this local institution, from its beginnings as a Union war-effort booster to its role as the town’s chronicler of everyday life.

This program is supported in part by the Vermont Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. www.vermonthumanities.org. 

The “Threads of History” program series at Manchester Community Library, in partnership with Manchester Historical Society, explores this year’s Vermont Reads themes, focusing on the history of American textiles, comic arts, historic printing, and the role women played in the Industrial Revolution. The 2026 Vermont Reads book, Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden, is available for pickup at the Library. Learn more about Vermont Reads.