Settled in 1636 and originally named Jeffrey's Creek, "Manchester started as a small fishing village, mainly for lobster and cod," said John Huss, curator and former president of the Manchester Historical Society. The town changed its name to Manchester in 1645, and eventually was home to 45 merchant sea captains who traded with Europe and the Far East. From the 1820s to the Civil War, the town became famous for furniture making, Huss said. However, when the Union Navy blocked Confederate ports, the cabinetmakers went out of business.
Manchester's cool breezes and ocean views have always proved irresistible to visitors, so in the mid to late 1800s - before air conditioning - wealthy Bostonians began to buy land and build lavish "cottages" along the water, turning the town into a mini Newport. In 1879 actor Junius Brutus Booth, the older brother of John Wilkes Booth, built Masconomo House, an opulent 3 1/2-story hotel overlooking Singing Beach. With 106 rooms, tennis courts, bowling alleys, billiard rooms, and a dining hall big enough for 300 guests, the hotel helped usher in Manchester's gilded age.
By the early 1900s the town had become a haven for President Taft (and later Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Wilson), inventor Alexander Graham Bell, and 11 foreign ambassadors, who moved their embassies to Manchester in the summer of 1904. The defunct cabinetmakers now entered the service sector, becoming the gardeners, chauffeurs, butlers, cooks, and builders for this new moneyed set.
Despite its glamorous history, Manchester never lost its small town feel. This is, in part, what prompted the town to legally change its name in 1990 to Manchester-by-the-Sea. With a total area of only 7.84 square miles, the town is easily navigable by foot, a convenient option for visitors arriving by train (a 45-minute ride from Boston). Or you can rent a bicycle at Seaside Cycle.
