MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Two small dogs come running to the door when you walk into Seth Howard’s home.
Inside, music plays softly from another room. The house is quiet and comfortable, the kind of place where a couple has built a life together, where stories are familiar and memories are everywhere, even when they aren't being told.
Howard is 90 years old. He spent much of his working life at Armco Steel, raised a family, traveled to other cities and eventually found his way back to Middletown.
Now, as Middletown's historic Manchester Inn prepares to be demolished, Howard has something that could help keep a piece of the city's history alive: a photograph he's held onto for more than 75 years.
WATCH: Middletown is asking residents to submit photos for the new Manchester development
The city of Middletown and developer CMC Properties are asking residents to submit photographs from weddings, proms, reunions, charity events and other gatherings at the Manchester. The goal is to create a gallery in the lobby of the planned new development, preserving memories of the people who once filled the hotel.
Have a Manchester Inn photo to share? Submit it here.
For Howard, the memories go back to when he was just 14.
He was born in Middletown on Mother's Day in 1936. During World War II, his family moved to California, where his father served as a Navy supply officer. They returned to Ohio in 1945, but with military families coming home, finding a place to live wasn't easy.
For a short time, the Howards stayed at the Manchester while they looked for a house of their own.
The hotel would remain part of Howard's life through high school, family milestones and decades of friendships.
“Well, that's my home, and that's where all my classmates, friends, family... yeah, our family is totally here,” Howard said of Middletown.
One of his most treasured reminders of those early years is a photograph from Jan. 1, 1951. Howard is standing on the stairs leading to the Manchester's ballroom, surrounded by classmates and his date.
He kept the photograph for decades, writing notes on the back to help remember the night and even taping an edge where a small rip began to form.
Despite what he might tell you, he doesn't need much help remembering.
“It's fun going through here. I can name everybody in that picture except one person,” he said.
He points himself out by his bow tie.
“That's me there with the bow tie because, unfortunately, I didn't know how to tie a real tie, so I always had that clip-on bow tie on," he said.
His date wore black. She was a year older than him, and he made sure she had a corsage, a big one too.
“And the tallest girl,” Howard said with a laugh.
He remembered who became prom king. It wasn't him.
“I know I didn't make king. My buddy's girlfriend made queen,” Howard said.
He still thinks he had a pretty good case.
“I think it was more of a popularity contest because I thought I was probably the best candidate,” he said.
Then came the part that mattered more.
“It was fun, you know, it's just fun dancing and carrying on like a fool,” he said.
That night was only the beginning of Howard's memories at the Manchester.
There were charity balls featuring big-band performers, including Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. His wife, Dolly, chaired a Phi Beta Psi dance there. The couple went to dinners and New Year's Eve celebrations, and Armco held a sports banquet at the hotel each fall. Howard attended after playing softball for the company's team.
Years later, he returned for another family milestone: his daughter Jennifer's wedding rehearsal dinner.
He remembers the meal: shrimp cocktail, steaks and a few drinks. He described it as a relaxed evening welcoming Jennifer's new in-laws.
Some memories were a little more unusual.
The Middletown Symphony held an annual fundraiser in the Manchester ballroom, and Howard was asked to be a mystery guest conductor. Wearing a mask, he took the stage and chose a song with a personal connection.
“I had the orchestra play 'Hello, Dolly!' because she was in the audience,” he said, motioning to his wife.
Howard also remembers playing racquetball at the YMCA across the street before heading to the Manchester bar with friends for a beer and snacks. He can still recall people who worked there, including longtime friend and bartender Dottie Hatton, waitresses Phyllis and Eunice, and managers Lou Hamilton and Paul Glee.
The hotel even played a role in his career. Howard worked in sales at Armco and often brought customers to the Manchester for dinner.
His life took him to other cities, including Troy, Detroit and Kansas City. He and Dolly also lived in Franklin while their children were in school.
But Middletown remained home. And the Manchester was a constant through many chapters of his life.
Now, the more-than-century-old building is set to be demolished after years of deterioration. CMC Properties plans to replace it with a development featuring more than 100 apartments and first-floor retail.
The developer says it wants the new building to fit into downtown Middletown while preserving elements of the Manchester's history. Plans include retaining the Manchester name and incorporating original architectural details where possible.
The photo gallery is another way to preserve the building's legacy.
“The building is and was the heart of where everybody either had a class reunion, a wedding, a prom,” said Pete Montgomery, a project manager with CMC Properties. “If you didn't go to this place for one of these things, you probably didn't live in Middletown.”
Montgomery said he hopes people will walk into the new lobby, recognize a photograph and remember a dance, a reunion or another important moment in their lives.
The idea is to keep those memories alive even after the place where they happened is gone.
Howard found out about the photo request in the newspaper or online. He dug through his belongings and rediscovered the homecoming picture he'd saved for decades.
Looking at it, he recognizes nearly everyone. But the photograph also reflects how much time has passed.
“Most of these people are deceased,” he said.
Many of the friends he once knew in Middletown are gone, too. What remains are the stories, the names and the little details he can still recall after all these years.
“They all were, were good friends. They're all good folks,” he said.
The photograph captures one night in 1951, but it also holds a piece of the life that followed: a career at Armco, a family, friendships and a hometown that kept drawing him back.
The Manchester Inn won't stand forever. Its ballroom and the rooms where generations gathered are set to disappear.
But Howard's memories don't depend on the building remaining where it is. They live in his photograph, in the story of a surprise orchestra performance and in the names of the friends he still remembers.
If the developer's plans come to fruition, some of those memories will have a place in the new building, too.
For Howard, the Manchester was never just a hotel. It was a place where life happened.
Have photographs of weddings, proms, reunions or other memories at the Manchester Inn? Submit your photos to the City of Middletown here.
