Trusler & Parmenter's Wabash County Directory for 1894

They say the only thing in common between Wabash and Manchester is their good-looking women.

North Manchester

The second city in size and commercial importance of Wabash county, has a population of some 5,000 persons, in located in Chester township, near the northern border of the county, on the northern bank of Eel river, and is exceptionally prosperous and progressive for a city of its size.

The streets of North Manchester, and a great many of the store rooms and residences as well, are lighted by electricity, supplied by the Jenney Electric Company, which has a well equipped plant at the junction of West Main street and the Big Four railroad

North Manchester is surrounded by a fertile farming district and is the center of a large share of the farming trade of this vicinity. There are located at this place several factories of considerable size and importance: The Rex Manufacturing Co., makers of the celebrated Rex wind mill; the butter tub factory of Scott Dunbar, the Noftzger Machine works, the Eel River Valley Planing Mill, the J. A. Brown & Co. Planing Mill and Lumber Yards, the Daisy Butter Co., the North Manchester Canning Co., and several smaller manufacturing concerns, all prosperous and employing a large corps of men, besides manufactories of flour, timber products, etc.

The press is represented at North Manchester by two weekly newspapers, each published Thursday mornings. Both offices are well equipped for newspaper and job work, and the papers are well managed, ably edited, and are fully in rank and sympathy with the progressive spirit of this little city.

The city has two railways passing through it -- the Detroit division of the Wabash and the Michigan division of the Big Four. The Nickel Plate passes within a few miles of the city, crossing the Wabash at South Whitley and the Big Four at Claypool. The Erie main line passes three miles south of the city, crossing the Big Four at Bolivar and the Wabash at Laketon, thus giving the city such railroad facilities as are seldom enjoyed by a city of its size, and making it an especially desirable place for manufacturing.

There are three hotels in the city --- the Hotel Sheller, corner Walnut and Second streets; the Hotel Central, corner Main and Front, and the Railroad Hotel, corner Main and the Wabash railway. Hotel Sheller under the personal management of Mr. H. B. Sheller, ranks among the best in this section of the State.

There is but one bank in the city, the Lawrence National, which is ably managed and strongly supported.

There is located on East College avenue the building of the North Manchester college. This institution is denominational (United Brethren) and up to the present time has not undertaken to present anything beyond a strictly collegiate and theological course of study. The college was founded in 1889, has been under the guidance of Prof. D. N. Howe, and though humble in its pretensions has been the instrument in the hands of Mr. Howe and associates of accomplishing much good, and has always been the chief pride of the citizens of North Manchester.

Lately a friend of the institution, of considerable means, appreciating the good accomplished by the limited means at the command of this institution, caused it to be endowed in the sum of $1,000.000. The name of the donor is not to be made public, that being one of the conditions of the donation. Among the other conditions of the donation is one that the institution shall hereafter be conducted on the University plan, and this will be done, commencing with the fall term of 1894. Mr. C. E. Kriebel has been elected president to carry into effect the conditions of the donation. Beginning with the fall term of 1894 there will be eight departments, Scientific, Classical, Philosophical, Pedagogical, Theological, Commercial, Music and Art.

The city is now (spring 1894) putting in a system of water works. The system is the stand-pipe method, and the work is being done by C. E. Coon & Co., of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, contractors.

The officers of the city are:

President Town Board -- Swank, D. D.

Clerk -- Cowgill, Joe

Marshal -- Williams, A. H.

Treasurer -- Sheller, Daniel

Attorney -- Clemans, F. B.

Fire Chief -- Puff, Deacon