George is Curious Curious George is curious about how your town got it's name.

Our 3rd graders at the Manchester Memorial School study our town each year in their By The Sea curriculum unit. As part of this unit they discuss the history of our town's name. We have also become curious about how other towns got their names. This website is a vehicle to share stories of towns' names across the United States. If you would like to join in the fun please email Paul Clark with the story behind your town's name and a picture of a symbol of your town. This is an ongoing project so your input will be valuable at any time. Click on the gallery to get an idea of what pictures people consider as representative of their towns.

Our town was first known as Jeffrey's Creek for a creek that ran through the village and out into the harbor. How the creek acquired the name Jeffrey's Creek is not known but it may have been named for William Jeffrey, or Jefferys. On June 18, 1645 the name was changed to Manchester. Origin of the name may be for Manchester, England, or named after the Duke of Manchester. No one can be certain. As quoted in Wikipedia, "in the mid-1800s, there were enough other Manchesters in New England (especially Manchester, New Hampshire) that locals began following the lead of railroad conductors and referring to the town as "Manchester-by-the-Sea". The name of the town was officially changed in 1990 following a close town meeting vote and an act of the state legislature. This change was driven by the late Edward Corley, a long time resident of Manchester."

Updated: 02/14/08
Curious? Email