River Mile: 397

Population: 1,839

U.S. Census Profile

Founded in 1790 as Massie’s Station, after surveyor and land speculator Nathaniel Massie, the town’s name was changed the following year to Manchester, for Massie’s English ancestral home. The town was the last in Ohio to be completely encircled by a stockade to defend European settlers against Native American resistance. An important stop for enslaved people escaping Kentucky across the river, Manchester did well as a steamboat stop and outlet for local agricultural output in the first half of the 19th century. Tobacco, pork processing, buggy manufacturing, milling and a nursery also contributed to the town’s prosperity. An abundance of mussels in the Ohio River drew the Manchester Button Factory in 1908, but the town’s prominence declined over the course of the 20th century. The town celebrates its heritage each year at the Manchester River Days festival.