This week, we’ll begin a four week look at the growth of Valley Street. We’ll look at some of the major buildings and areas that comprised Valley Street from Jackson Street to its early 1870s terminus at High Street. It would take far too many articles to mention all the changes to all the buildings along the street and so our focus will be narrowed down a bit. We’ll begin with an article by historian Tom Beardsley.

“In December 1863, the Willimantic Journal‘s editor  William Weaver and local merchant and mill owner Ona  Carpenter took a horse and buggy  ride down memory lane. They conducted a journey along a narrow thoroughfare, which was soon to be developed as a new road between Jackson and High streets now known as Valley Street.  Weaver and Carpenter recalled that this land had once been a marshy swamp that lay in the foot of the valley that separated the Willimantic River from ‘Hogback' hill, and that during  the l840s it had been developed  into meadow land by local merchant Thomas Cunningham.  Weaver and Carpenter now continued their journey, which had begun on Tanner's Lane or North Street. 'Before traveling west along the road that led across the old valley, Weaver and Carpenter looked to the east and noted Warren Atwood‘s steam-driven sash and  blind factory. This considerable stone structure was built, owned and operated by Warren Atwood (1813-87), an eccentric, but central figure in Willimantic’s 19th century development.  Atwood was born at Conantville, and served an apprenticeship as a stonemason, He was considered “a peculiar genius,” and was responsible for building “numberless houses“ in the expanding borough of  Willimantic. He was the founder of the Willimantic Methodist Society Society and in "1850 he built   the Willimanlic   Methodist Church. Demolished in 1974, it gave Church Street its name. In 1859, Atwood was hired to work on the building of the Ohio State Capitol building at Columbus, Ohio. Returning to Willimantic during the Civil War, Atwood became involved in the development of the Willimantic Methodist Campground, and later opened a shirt manufactory in his old sash and blind factory.  Weaver and Carpenter then headed west down the road soon to be known as Valley Street. They noted a blacksmith shop, and a large tenement house built by Harry Boss (l8l6-93), an overseer in the mills. His son, Eugene Boss (I842-1920), became a long serving agent and manager at the American Thread Co. mills.  Carpenter noted that Harry Boss’s brother-in-law, Lloyd Baldwin, also owned much land and property in this area.  The pair looked over to their right, and recalled that in their schoolboy days the elevated area was full of shagbark walnut trees.  But today they had gone, and several pretty cottages had been erected in their place, Of the five buildings in a row they belonged to Mr. Steams, a harnessmaker, to Mr. Randall, to Mr. Green, to Mr. Morse, the tailor, and to Lloyd Baldwin, who rented it to Mr. Robertson, the jeweler, and Mr Sparks, the baker. Weaver and Carpenter noted the house of George Alpaugh (l8l4- 90), Willimantic's best known merchant. Alpaugh was known as Windham County’s John Wanamaker, the individual who had built Americas first all purpose department store at Philadelphia in 18754.  Alpaugh had arrived in Willimantic from New York City in 1848, and had entered into partnership with Robert Hooper. Alpaugh and Hooper operated Windham County’s largest department store in the Franklin Block on Main Street. Alpaugh was a well known figure around town, and walked the streets in a tall stove pipe hat similar to that worn by Abraham Lincoln. Alpaugh’s daughter Arabella would marry Harry Boss's son Eugene Boss. Weaver and Carpenter eventually reached the junction of High Street, and noted a new dwelling, being built for Dr. Fitch the borough's dentist.  They noted that this was the end of vehicle navigation, as the land west of High Street was impassable. The journey down the small lane connecting Jackson and High Streets was over, and similar voyages would soon be impossible. ln 1864, the narrow lane was replaced by a wide thoroughfare known as Valley Street.” We’ll continue next week with a look at some of the buildings and background of the street.

A 1910 photo of Valley Street
Click on photo for larger version