About Us:

"The Magic City" is located in Meriwether County, half way between Columbus and Newnan. It is surrounded by Pine Mountain and has an altitude of 1000 feet above sea level. This gives it an ideal climate all the year.

Manchester was laid out in 1908 but was not chartered until 1909, at which time it was a railroad junction town with a small population, muddy streets, a few wooden stores and only one brick store-The City Drug Co. However according to the legal books, tile district which is now the site of the city of Manchester was known as College Park in the year 1895.

The bank was completed in 1909, and Mr. J. S- Peters was Cashier. The bank now has a much greater capital and Mr. J. S. Peters is President with an efficient staff of workers under him.

It has been said that a neighboring town refused to have the railroad yards smoking' up her town, so the railroad terminal 'was placed in Manchester in 1907, and the railroad has .proved to be one of the main contributions to the growth of Manchester. The old wooden bridge over the railroad tracks has been replaced with a modern cement structure with "daytime lights." The old wooden railway depot was destroyed by fire in 1984 and was re-placed by a two-story brick building.

In 1909 Puller E. Callaway founded a branch of Callaway Mills in Manchester. Its section of the town takes in a large percentage of the population and is a small community in itself, complete with grade school, churches, community building, pool, playground, barber shop, store, clubs, kindergarten and nursery school. The mill is now engaged in making cloth for the war effort. Three flags proudly fly from her flag-post--Old Glory, the Army-Navy E, and the Minute Man.

In 1912 one building was sufficient to take care of the pupils. Manchester now has six school buildings. The modem high school is equipped with laboratories, library, lockers, home economics building and agricultural workshop. The grammar school is on the Georgia accredited list and the high school is a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The school lunchroom supplies the pupils with warm nourishing lunches. School buses bring in children from the neighboring communities. The two kindergartens do an excellent job of preparing the children for school work.

The Manchester citizens have long felt the need for cooperation with the neighboring communities. The first fairs were held in the park behind the bank building. In 1987 the modern fair-grounds with exhibit buildings were completed and each year the Tri-County Fair is held here by Meriwether, Talbot and Harris Counties.

The first picture show was a small room over a store on Main Street. The present movie is one of a chain of Martin Theatres, one of the finest theatre chains in the South.

The City Council of Manchester has engaged expert advice to assist in formulating plans for post-war development, which at present includes new school and fire-fighting facilities and a system of parks and recreational centers. The civic organizations, such as the Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club are taking an active part in furthering these projects, along with their efforts to encourage expansion of local industry and commerce.

And so we say. "May God continue to shower His blessings upon Manchester in the future, as He has so bountifully done in the past."