In 1937, after a 1935 Chapter 11 reorganization, Cheney Brothers sold off a great deal of property, including utilities, worker houses, and other property. The silk industry had begun declining after the peak year of 1923, and, like many businesses, Cheney Brothers fell on hard times during the 1930s, due in part to the Great Depression, the elimination of protective
import tariffs, new fashion trends, and the arrival of synthetics. Textile production from all over New England moved to
the southern states and to the Orient, where labor was cheaper.
The auctions took place on September 23, 24, and 25, 1937. The auctioneers walked from house to house,
followed by a large crowd. The auction was preceded by the distribution of catalogs describing the properties. The auction catalog,
reproduced at the bottom of this page, contained photos, maps, and listings of the properties,
locations, dimensions of the land, and amenities. (In the property descriptions, by the way, "set tubs" refers to large and
deep sinks that were used to wash clothes.)
245 dwellings, plus a store-dwelling and 5 garages, were transferred from Cheney Brothers to private owners during
these three days.
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To see the details and results of
each day's auction by parcel number, please click the date and then on the parcel you're interested in... September 23 auction September 24 auction September 25 auction |
To see the properties listed alphabetically
by street and street number, along with coordinates of the property on its sale map which you can use to locate it, please click... All properties by street |
Navigation hint: The information is presented in 2 sections, with the map
above and the descriptions below. You can resize these by clicking on the bottom border of the map section and dragging
it up or down.
Special Feature:
Almost as soon as this section was activated on the web site, we received emails from viewers who remember the auctions and
who had personal memories about them they wished to share.
• To view these comments, please click: Auction Memories.
• To add your own memories to these, please email them our webmaster by clicking
Susan Barlow.
- or -
send them by postal mail to...
175 Pine Street
Manchester, CT 06040
Attn: Auction Memories
Lastly: For more information about the Cheney silk industry, please click The Cheney Silk Mills in the "Reprints" section of this web site.
