Eastern Connecticut State University is justifiably proud of its iconic Foster Clock Tower which is featured as its official logo. The ECSU website’s “Eastern History Book” says, “The beautiful Foster ClockTower is the visual symbol of Eastern’s campus,and stands tall next to the J. Eugene Smith Library”. Few, if any folks, might realize that in 1891, when the Connecticut Legislature provided funding for a new Normal School (the precursor to ECSU), the plans called for “a structure to be built of brick and brownstone, having a tower with a town clock, thus supplying a long felt want in Willimantic”. During the four year building process, however, budget cuts finally doomed the prospect of a clock. Photos of the building show that the tower was built but without a clock. Willimantic citizens had indeed been desirous of a town clock. A newspaper article from 1888 stated, “The bell on St. Joseph’s church strikes the hour of noon. This is the only way of knowing the time of day in Willimantic. The borough ought to be enterprising in procuring a town clock”. Other articles of the period mentioned the Loomer Opera House and the new Morrison Machine Company building on North Street as places for a clock tower. But in 1895, with the Normal School building having been completed, Willimantic still had no town clock. At the same time, however, plans were underway for Windham to have a new “town building”. When the first plans were introduced, the building had a tower but no clock. During the planning period, many ideas had been offered for the location of the building and for the interior design but nothing had ever been mentioned about a clock.Then, on March 28, 1896, James Hayden made an offer in the following letter. “Anticipating the convenience to my fellow citizens to be derived from a public town clock centrally located and conspicuously displayed, I am desirous at this time that our new town building be supplied with one of the best makers of town master clocks and to that end will providethe Town with one of the Howard best Tower Clocks. The only condition I desire to impose on the town in accepting the same would be that the Town supply a bell of suitable weight of equal good quality with the clock together with four (4) illuminated dials the same to be illuminated during hours of street lighting on Main Street”. Mr. Hayden’s offer was accepted that night and it was decided that a 2,000 pound bell should be ordered. Records from the Howard Clock Company show that the town ordered a “No. 2 Striker with 4 sectional illuminated dials 6’-4” diameter; black hands & figures”. On June 22, 1896, “the new town clock was formally started by Mrs James E. Hayden...and since then, the hours have been regularly announced by the striking of the remarkably clear and sweet toned bell placed in the tower by vote of the town. It is the first public clock ever started or set up in this city.” Today’s illustration is from January, 1895 and is the first sketch of what the planned town building would look like. If anyone would like a digital copy of Mr. Hayden’s letter or has questions or comments about this  week’s photo or article, please e-mail us at “threadcity@outlook.com”.