Manchester's Depot Square: An Area Full of Splendor In Its Heyday

MANCHESTER, CT — Manchester economic development officials were a little sentimental Tuesday with a social media post commemorating the old Depot Square area in the north end of town.

The image dates back to the early 1900s and depicts men smartly attired in suits and women in splendid Victorian Era gowns. The trolley, railroad and automobiles were among accessible modes of transportation.

Shops lined the street, though it was yet to be paved.

The Manchester Historical Society tells us that by the late 1960s, urban development swept that scene away, but is also tells us that, in its heyday, the area featured unique buildings, a town green-style park and the Depot itself, where trains would stop for passengers and freight.

It was the center of Union Village and offered shops, bakeries, a drug store, a hardware store, bars and places to grab a bite to eat.

Today, a strip mall, offices and elderly housing units are at the very north end of Main Street instead.

Some remnants of the original Union Village remains after having attained a Historic District designation in 2002, thereby joining eight other Manchester areas on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Union Village Historic District encompassed North Main, Union and Oakland streets.