On February 15 we celebrated Presidents’ Day so let’s take a look back at the visits of the three Presidents who have  been in Willimantic.   In July, 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant’s train made a very quick stop in Willimantic. Grant had accepted an invitation from Henry C. Bowen, an influential businessman and resident of Woodstock. to visit Connecticut and to speak at Woodstock on the 4^th of July. On Monday morning, July 4th, a special train left Hartford and proceeded to Putnam. Along the way, it made quick stops at Manchester, Vernon, Willimantic, Baltic and Plainfield.  When the train stopped at Willimantic, Mr. Hall, the town’s representative to the General Assembly “entered the Presidential car and requested that the President step onto a platform which had been erected near the station”. But there was not enough time and so the President came to the platform of his car and was  “presented to the people by General Hawley”. (Joseph R. Hawley had established a law practice in Hartford in 1850 and had also owned the “Hartford Evening Press” newspaper. When that paper had received word of Lincoln’s call to serve in the Union Army just before the Civil War, he became one of the oldest men to enlist (at 34).  Hawley went on to become a Brigadier General in the 1st Connecticut Infantry and fought in 13 battles during the Civil War. Returning to Connecticut after the war, Hawley was elected the 42nd Governor of Connecticut. He later ran for and won a seat in Congress, first as a representative and later as a senator, serving the state of Connecticut.) Grant had no time for a speech, so there was just a quick acknowledgement of the crowd. In October,1880, and now as former-President, Grant was back in Willimantic. He stopped while on his way to a reception in Hartford where he would gather together with 2,000 of the soldiers he commanded in the Civil War. Newspapers reported that he was given “a fine reception in Willimantic, the section around the depot being crowded with a cheering multitude and cannon roaring as the train entered the town”. The train was then backed down to what was referred to as “the great mill” of the Willimantic  Linen Company which had just been completed. Grant had the opportunity to view the building and to see the more than 1,500 mill employees who each had a small American flag. The Willimantic band played patriotic music from the roof of Mill Number 4 and “cheer upon cheer was given by the assemblage”. One of the mill’s employees, Miss Mary Wood presented a gift to Mrs. Grant. It was a “handsome black walnut cabinet containing specimens of all the products of the thread company”. A “speech of presentation” was made and responded to by Mrs. Grant in a few well chosen words”. Before the train left Willimantic, several more dignitaries boarded for the trip to Hartford, among them, Connecticut ex-Governor Marshall Jewell. The whole stopover was limited to 15 minutes and soon the train left for Hartford. The second President to visit Willimantic was Teddy Roosevelt who visited on August 25, 1902. The visit was to be approximately 30 minutes long and the President was scheduled to make a “non-partisan speech”. This was going to be a big day for Willimantic. While Grant had made a quick stop at the depot during his presidency, this would be the first time a sitting President actually spent time within town.  The train stopped at the Bridge Street crossing and when Roosevelt appeared at the door of the car, he was met by loud cheering and raised his top hat in salute to the crowds. Willimantic Mayor Barrows then officially welcomed “Teddy” to the Thread City. Then, ten carriages carried the President, his staff, reporters and local dignitaries on a drive down Main Street. The carriage carrying the President was accompanied by National Guardsmen as well as Police Chief Richmond and nine of his officers. 200 children from the schools had gathered in front of the Town Hall waving flags and sang a patriotic song as the carriages passed by. Crowds lined Main Street and became thicker as the carriages approached Lincoln Square and guardsmen cleared the way. Windows in nearby buildings were filled with people. The carriage finally stopped at Lincoln Square and Mayor Barrows stood up to address the crowds saying,” Ladies and Gentlemen, I take great pleasure in introducing to you the Honorable Theodore Roosevelt, the President of the United States of America”. (To be continued.)