Millyard Museum

The Millyard Museum is housed in Mill No. 3 at the corner of Commercial and Pleasant Streets in the historic Amoskeag Millyard. The Museum features the permanent exhibit, Woven in Time: 11,000 Years at Amoskeag Falls, that tells the story of Manchester and the people who have lived and worked here. The story starts with the native peoples who fished at Amoskeag Falls 11,000 years ago. It continues with displays on the area's early farmers and lumbermen, and the beginnings of industry in the area. The exhibit continues with the story of the development of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. This powerful corporation would become the largest textile producing company in the world, employing over 17,000 people, including immigrants from many countries. The company's vast brick millyard still dominates the cityscape today. The story concludes in the 21st Century, as innovative businesses flourish in the city and new groups of immigrants come to Manchester to start new lives.

The exhibit features selections from the MHA's collection of over 600,000 documents and artifacts, including some old favorites like the 1844 "Torrent # 5" hand tub fire pumper and the neon sign from Sundial Shoes. There are activity stations for children, videos, a model of the Millyard, looms from the mills, an animated explanation of how water power works and a re-creation of Elm Street on a Thursday night - complete with lighted arches, "cobblestone" pavement, a variety of stores and the State Theatre gallery for changing exhibits.