ThreadCity.com Photo Gallery

Threadcity Photo Gallery

Neighborhoods


Prospect Street	Prospect Street	Prospect Street	Prospect Street
Prospect Street - facing West. Prospect Street, facing West, between North and Church Streets

Bellevue Street		Windham Street	Windham Street
Babcock Court (off Spring Street)This is a picture taken in approximately the 1880's.The angle of the photo places the photographer somewhere on Chestnut St. and we think that the houses pictured are still on Babcock Court.	Cates Terrace barracks style housing
Valley Street looking west.This is Valley Street looking west from approximately in front of Saint Mary’s Church. The Holland Mills buildings and storage shed are pictured. Visble in the lower right side of the photo is the wrought iron fence that is still in existence in front of Saint Mary’s. Also visible in the bottom left is the spire of the Congregational Church.	Valley Street (looking west from Church St.)The first building (partially visible) on the left was the Chaffee Mfg. Company which made braid. By 1950, Mayor Bergeron’s tin shop was there along with a liquor store. The next building was the Windham Silk Mill. By the 50s, it was William Brand. Then, on the corner of North and Valley, was the Washburn Block. Beyond the Washburn block, is a group of buildings housing the Willimantic Welfare Bureau (later home to Watson’s Movers), the Women’s Christian temperance Union, the Park Central Hotel, and Carpenter’s auto radiator repair. Just about visible to the left of the tree is the Turner Silk Mill, later the Trade School.	Valley Street - looking west from Pearl Street - The building on the left was built in 1897 as Willimantic’s second armory. Later it became a dance hall and then home of Watson’s Movers. The next three buildings housed McCarthy Brothers Plumbing and Heating, then the Park Central Hotel, and J.B. Carpenter Plumbing. The Trade School can be seen on the far right.	West side of Church Street at Valley Street.This is the west corner of Church and Valley streets in 1910. The building with the sign was the Willimantic Printing Company at 88 Church St. The next building was Chaffee Manufacturing. It produced nylon fishing line and braided silk). Across Valley Street was the west mill of Holland Manufacturing
Valley Street - looking East toward Birch St.	Meadow Street Looking west from Bank Street. This is the location of the present day Public Safety Complex.

Vermont Drive - 1908 Photographer Julian Beville climbed the smokestack of the Quidnick Windham Mills and took the next few photos. Vermont Drive was originally named Brick Row	Vermont Drive Beville Photo - Looking West - The brick buildings are on Vermont Drive. Arnold's Lane, Winter St and Wilson St. are in the picture. Beyond that, there is very little growth.	Looking East Beville Photo The Town Hall is on the left. Also visible is "White Row", Quidnick Windham's worker housing on Main Street.	Looking Northeast Beville Photo In this photo, the Normal School is top center. Slightly below and right is the Firt District schoolhouse and the new Model School.
	High and ValleyBeville PhotoThis is the intersection of Valley and High with the steeple of the First Congregational church in the background (the one that blew down in the 1938 hurricane). To the left of the Congregational Church's steeple, one can make out one of St. Mary's steeples (they were modified in about 1958) and, to the left of that, very faintly, St. Joseph's pre-hurricane steeple.	High and ValleyBeville Photo	1908 view of Hosmer MountainBeville Photo - Bridge Street is easily recognizable by the houses and natural landscape . Hosmer Mountain dominates the background. Bridge Street eventually runs into Pleasant Street. The curved road in the distance leading to the hill is part of Mountain Street. You can see the road cut up the side of the mountain.
Maple Avenue.	Maple Avenue. Saint Mary's Convent is centered in the photo.	Maple Avenue. Maple Avenue.	An interesting view of Natchaug School as seen from Maple Avenue.
Church Street	Church Street	Very early Church Street

Fred Turner Photos Fred Turner took several photos from the ATCO buildings. A view of the city from atop ATCO's chimney in 1907. Mill Six is under construction at bottom left. We also get a good view of the Mill Museum's Dugan Mill -- but with only one story	Looking East Fred Turner Photo - 1907 "Iverton", the Mills housing complex opposite ill No. 2, is seen here. Addresses were numbered as "New Village".	Fred Turner Photo - 1907 Looking slightly Southwest, Pleasant Street runs the length of the photo with Hosmer Mountain in the distance.	Fred Turner Photo - 1907 Looking North. Saint Joseph's Church is on the left. Buildings of the Hillhouse Taylor Lumber Company are almost in the center of the photo.



	Mill HousingThis photo was taken from either Dunham or Chapman Street. Mill Number Two is in the background. Jamie Eves says, “... the building on the right is likely the center of Mill Number Two, and the one on the left is the eastern extension, originally a separate building.	Lower Main St. The tower probably belongs to the old ATCO Spool Shop.

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Thread Mill Square Before the building of Mill No. 6.
Polish Naturalization Club At the time this photo was taken, the building belonged to the Polish Naturalization Club. In later years, it would become home to McClure's Market. Today, the Cibao Market is there	Main Street Mill Worker Housing	” Main Street Mill Worker Housing Rear Yards
Cardinal Square	Cardinal Square


South St. or John St. at intersection with Pleasant st.South Street as it intersects with Pleasant Street. the spires of Saint Mary Church can be seen in the background			South Street in Willimantic.
The OaksThe Oaks was developed in 1890 by the Willimantic Linen Company as a new phase in its housing program (the housing program commenced in 1865).	The Oaks Forty houses were erected using 4 basic floor plans. All have six rooms, though varying considerably in the arrangement and size of rooms and closet accommodation. All the houses have front porches opening either to halls or vestibules.	The Oaks
Park Street Duplex at 49/51 Park Street. Probably taken around 1905 when C. Victor Enanda and family moved in. Courtesy of Horace Smith		Park Street Park Street, view to the south circa 1905. Several people can be noted on close inspection.
Pleasant Street		Windham Road looking East
South Main Street Later called Windham Road / Route 32

. “The John Cates Terrace” was built in 1943 as part of the Federal Public Housing Authority's attempts to provide housing for workers in military establishments and businesses that did production work for the military.	Cates Terrace shown on Topo Map Work on the project was begun in April, 1943 with a grant to Windham from the FPHA. Associated Construction Co. of Groton completed the work in July, 1943. The total cost of the project was $382,250. The buildings were located on the three streets serving the project.		Cates Terrace Buildings
Barrows Avenue wasnamed after the General Manager of the Willimantic Linen Company William Barrows), Chappell Avenue named after Willimantic Mayor Herbert Chappell and Tanner Avenue named after Willimantic Mayor Oscar O. Tanner.