Historian Ed Brouder and the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications present “The Ledge,” an illustrated history of the granite ledges that provided the foundation for Manchester's mills during the Industrial Revolution and for recreation that drew international attention for decades afterward.

In a presentation on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 pm, Brouder will trace the history of the Amoskeag Ledge to the late 1800s, when teams of oxen dragged tons of granite from the Ledge, near Derryfield Park, to build the foundations for the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company's massive textile mills along the Merrimack River.

The operation halted when the quarry began filling with water from an underground spring, but the ledge began a second life as a popular 1920s swimming attraction, especially for a group of year-round swimmers known as the Brownies. Their exhibitions and daring dives through holes cut in thick ice attracted thousands of spectators and international news coverage.

At least 10 people drowned in the quarry's 60-foot-deep water. Eventually, the Ledge was donated to Manchester, but the popular swimming hole wasn't closed until 1983, largely because of Nora Kennard Jones, who owned half of the land.

Learn about the Ledge, remember the Brownies, discover a powerful 20th century socialite and hear tips about how to conduct the basic research that led to the entertaining presentation.

Tickets for the presentation at the Loeb School at 749 E. Industrial Park Drive are $10 per person or $25 per family and are available at loebschool.org or by calling the school at 627-0005.