When Cookson Communications began to plant roots in our new but historic home at 722 Pine Street in Manchester, NH in May 2024, we couldn’t help but wonder about its history and past occupants. As we transitioned our operations fully into our new location, the only piece of information about the history we had about this gorgeous home was that its construction was estimated to be in 1870. With 150 years of history before us, we gave our summer intern, Grace Sprague, a super fun assignment – find and develop the story behind our new home. We are excited to share it.
While we didn’t uncover anything earth-shattering about its past residents or history, we did see how it was woven into the fabric of Manchester in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was originally built and owned by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company (AMC), a textile manufacturer that operated what became the largest cotton textile plant in the world. In 1871, the new dam was built across the Merrimack River. AMC was by far Manchester’s largest employer at the time and in the 1860s and 1870s, the company had a program that imported Scottish weavers to work in the mills.
No records of those who lived in the house between roughly 1870 and 1891 have been uncovered, but because of its location and style, it is likely that AMC used it for those in management who needed housing. The 3,650 square-foot house includes seven bedrooms over three floors, several formal rooms for gathering and entertaining and is on the edge of the North End of the City, which features the city’s larger and grander properties built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The earliest records of residential home ownership of 722 Pine Street trace back to the Knox family – who came to Manchester from Scotland. While a few others have owned this home, the Knox family is the most prominent and longest. Between three separate family members, the Knox family owned the property from 1891-1944, over 50 years of their legacy as a family spent here experiencing the transition from coal to hot water heat, electrification, and the automobile.
Mortimer Knox, a mail carrier and grocer, married his wife Sarah Wallace, an immigrant from Scotland in 1890. They purchased the home the next year and eventually had two children named Guy and Helen Knox. Guy and Helen would both go on to own the house, with Guy owning it first from 1906-1913, and Helen owning it much longer, from 1914-1944.
A larger garage with one oversized bay was added in the 1920s and records show it may have been for an auto repair business. Mortimer and Sarah also housed multiple boarders throughout their time as owners of the home, which was a way for the couple to earn money. Based on the size of the house and the number of bedrooms, it’s likely that Helen also took in borders.
The classic structure was fully renovated and converted to commercial use in 2014 and features many modern amenities. A visit to the basement reveals some additional 19th-century history – large chunks of carved granite that form the foundation, an iron dual sink for clothes washing and a think wooden, lead-lined ice chest, its four-inch-thick door weighing several hundred pounds.
While the seven bedrooms are now offices, one can still imagine them hosting many borders over the years, several of which may have worked in those mills or filled other key roles across the city. We are proud to live within the history of the Knox family, along with all the other past residents of our new home, and we are excited to make our mark on the history of 722 Pine Street
