From 1996 until  2006, Tom Beardsley wrote a weekly historical article for the Chronicle. From time to time, we’ll revisit some of Tom’s articles that are now over twenty-five years old and which I have slightly edited. Today we’ll begin a three week series about Whiting Hayden. “He was said to be one of Willimantic’s richest and most “interesting” citizens. It was said that, “he might be called called eccentric and not approachable. His manner was gruff, at times surly. He was, however, possessed of New England shrewdness and very successful in his business affairs. His heart was all right too when you found it. He was careless of his dress, often visiting neighboring cities very ordinarily dressed, with his clothes covered with cotton from the mill.” Born in Warwick, Massachusetts in 1808, Hayden had a varied career before being appointed superintendent of a cotton mill in East Greenwich, R.I. in 1839. By 1843, thanks to wise land speculation in Illinois and Rhode Island, Hayden had amassed a fortune. Later that year, James and Amos Smith of Providence, R.l., hired Hayden to manage the Smithville Company’s Willimantic cotton mill which they had purchased. In 1858, he bought the Wells Cotton Factory in the Sodom section of town for $5,400. In 1870, Hayden took over the Smithville/Windham Mills operation and in 1876 sold his holdings in the mills on Bridge Street. He also invested in the recently established  Willimantic Savings Institute, founded  in 1842 by cotton mill owner, John  Tracy (Windham Co.), to encourage his  workers to save their money, instead of  squandering it on liquor.  The bank was originally located in the building today occupied by Schiller’s, but moved to its current location. In May, 1874, Whiting Hayden, who had for a long time been vice-president, was elected the Savings Institute’s president. He became involved in real estate and politics and represented Windham in the state Senate. Hayden was frustrated that Willimantic, northeastern Connecticut's  largest city, was not the political seat of  Windham county. Windham Center held that privilege from 1727 until  1819, when an act in the Connecticut  General Assembly transferred the seat  to Brooklyn.  Hayden became determined that the  county seat and Superior Court should  return to the town of Windham, but  Willimantic borough had grown so  quickly that it did not possess a suitable town hall or courtroom to hold a Superior Court.  The city fathers were renting the  "music room," on the second floor in the  Willimantic Savings lnstitute’s building for local court cases and town meetings.  In February 1879, Willimantic's selectmen voted to provide a new town building to hold a jail and a courthouse.  Windham sent a deputation to Hartford  to complain about the "great  inconveniences" caused by the holding  of the Superior Court in Brooklyn.  Six‘ weeks later Whiting Hayden presented plans to the selectmen for a  large brick and marble building to  house shops, town ofices and a court  house on the vacant lot east of the  Willimantic Savings Institute’s building.  Hayden offered to build it at his own  expense if the town paid $800 a year  rent, on a 10-year lease, for the court  and offices. This was agreed, and ground for the Hayden Block was broken in April 1879. The town's decision to locate in Hayden’s building caused much controversy.  Numerous letters appeared in the  town’s newspapers, the Journal and the  Chronicle, for and against the new  town hall - similar to the keen debate  over the building of Windham‘s new middle school in 1994.  In June 1879, Hayden reduced the rent to $400 a year. The town and the  building’s critics agreed and the delayed construction work resumed.  Willimantic came to a standstill on  Aug. 20, 1879, when two massive iron  vaults and an immense water tank arrived at the railroad station, and were  hauled up Main Street to Hayden's  building.  The only complaints regarding the  Hayden Block came from young boys,  who could no longer view the colorful circus posters pasted on the Willimantic Savings Institute’s east wall, now  rapidly disappearing from sight.  By the end of August, large iron pillars were put in Hayden’s new building and in September the expensive marble fronting was put in place. A belfry was also built on the roof. On October 15, the front of the building was boarded up and work began on the courtrooms and offices.