The Manchester Historic Association opened a new exhibition: “All Bottled Up! The History of Bottling in Manchester” at the Millyard Museum on April 16 as part of the organization’s 129th Annual Meeting.
Bottling was a prominent industry in Manchester for many years. In the early 20th Century, wines, liquors, and beers were bottled and sold at dozens of businesses in the Queen City, including Quirin Brothers, P. Harrington Sons, and N. J. Pichette. Many of these businesses came to an abrupt end in 1920 with the start of prohibition. Others were able to shift and begin producing carbonated soft-drinks instead.
By the 1940s, larger companies like Lafayette Beverages and Silver Brothers/Cott Beverages operated bottling plants in the city, bottling millions of cases of soda a year. The dairy business was also prominent in the early to mid-20th Century, with several dairies operating in Manchester, delivering milk and cream to the city’s residents.
“All the objects on display in this exhibit are reusable or disposable containers for liquor, soda, milk, medicine, or other liquids: what many would have considered trash.” says Manchester Historic Association Executive Director Jeff Barraclough. “And yet they have survived, telling us something about how people lived in years past, and about this important but often overlooked Manchester industry.”
With over 200 glass bottles from Manchester on display, representing over 50 different bottling businesses, this exhibit looks at the history of the many liquor, soda, dairy, and other bottling businesses in the city over the years. The exhibit also includes an original board game, “Manchester Milk Man Madness!” that can be played in the Marylou Lazos Kids Corner at the museum.
“All Bottled Up! The History of Bottling in Manchester” will run through Aug. 17. Visit manchesterhistoric.org or call 603-622-7531 for more details.