Fifth graders will visit MHA for a program on Manchester’s pre-industrial history. Ninth graders will take part in a new program built for New Hampshire’s updated ninth-grade civics curriculum, exploring active citizenship through primary sources and a mock aldermanic meeting.
“This year is very exciting,” said Kristy Ellsworth, MHA Director of Education. “The ninth graders will have a brand new program tailored to civics in Manchester and active citizenship.”
Ellsworth said she has ordered nameplates for the ‘mayor’ and ‘aldermen’ to make the mock meeting feel authentic. “Even ninth graders appreciate things being well done,” she said.
Executive Director Jeff Barraclough said the partnership reflects Manchester’s unique place in American history and the museum’s growing role as a community resource.
“Manchester has one of the most remarkable stories in New England — from the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company to the waves of immigration that shaped this city,” he said. “Being part of the district’s curriculum means every student in Manchester will get to see that story up close, in the place where it happened.”
Barraclough added that the ninth-grade civics program is especially timely. “Teaching civics through Manchester’s own history — its aldermen, its neighborhoods, its people — helps students understand that active citizenship isn’t an abstract idea,” he noted. “It’s something that has always happened right here.”
According to Ellsworth, students are often surprised by the scale of Manchester’s industrial past and the city’s role as a center of American industrialization. “It gives them a very good sense of place and a sense of pride for their area,” she said.
Open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Millyard Museum is operated by the Manchester Historic Association, a nonprofit dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Manchester, New Hampshire.