Welcome to Willimantic by Pete Zizka 1-15-2022 |
In 1953, James D. Currie produced
a 16-page pamphlet entitled “Welcome to Willimantic: The Heart of
Eastern Connecticut.” This informative booklet provided an interesting
window of life in the community almost 70 years ago. The brochure’s
opening section dealt with the city’s early history, noting that the
first major settlement occurred around 1810, when a small village
developed adjacent to a sawmill located on the banks of the Willimantic
River. Due to the village’s rapid growth, Willimantic petitioned for an
independent borough-government in 1833. It became a city in 1893 and by
1953, Willimantic had 15,000 inhabitants. Governed by a mayor and common
council, it then had a tax rate of 17.5 mills based upon a grand list of
$24 million for tax assessment.
In the pamphlet’s next section, Currier outlined the city’s attractions
and he stressed that Willimantic was ideally located on the crossroads
of Routes 6 and 32 between New York, 130 miles away, and Boston, 86
miles, away. “Modern highways
were kept in excellent condition the year round."
The Greyhound Bus Co., which had a scheduled stop at the Shell
Chateau Restaurant, and the New England and Blue Line bus companies;
which stopped at the Travel Bureau at 872 Main Street provided
transportation services "across New England. W|llimantic’s modern
highways brought visitors to a city “surrounded by a rambling
picturesque countryside”.
Downtown Willimantic boasted numerous industries, schools, churches, a
well-equipped YMCA, three banks, a Savings and Loan association, a
public library with more than 18,000 volumes, a first-class post office
with a substation on Meadow Street.
The Capitol Theatre offered continuous performances daily after 2
P.M. while the Gem and Strand theaters provided continuous shows on
weekends and holidays. Moreover, a country club was located within a
mile of the city center, parking was available at parking meters at one
cent for 12 minutes and five cents for an hour. Moreover, the downtown
area was home to a number of industries including American Thread, the
American Screw Company, and several other manufacturing firms. Currier
mentioned the city’s poultry industry, pointing out a little-known fact
that Willimantic was at the ‘heart of the second largest
poultry-producing region in the United States!
The brochure also gave a brief sketch of the city’s modern
hospital. The Windham Community Memorial Hospital had a patient capacity
"of 139, with treatment possible for 92 adults, 16 children, and 31
infants. Currie also included the frog pond legend in the pamphlet as
well as other details about local history in surrounding towns. He gave
an outline history of Nathan Hale's birthplace in Coventry, a summary of
Lebanon's rich colonial and history and he noted that Scotland had been
home to Samuel Huntington, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Currier wrote a description of what he believed to be the area’s most
interesting tourist destination, the recently completed Mansfield Hollow
Dam. He noted that the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers had completed
construction the previous year and that, it was New England’s largest
flood control project. Visitors to the dam could enjoy a panoramic view
of rolling hills and vast, man-made lake. The 1953_“Welcorne to
Willimantic” booklet concluded
with 'a reminder of the years before shopping malls dominated
the. country, noting that Willimantic was the shopping center for
the region and that its “modern stores" offered the best in vegetables,
fruits, produce, meats and clothing.” If you enjoy these brief
looks at our area’s history, you may enjoy visiting
threadcity.us. The site has 2,000 historical photos in 50
galleries. It has over 500 articles by Tom Beardsley, 50 by Pete Zizka
and others by various authors as well as much more historical
information. The Chronicle has been publishing our stories and photos
for almost 15 years now. In 2022 we’ll be taking a look at the growth of
several Willimantic neighborhoods, the beginnings of UConn and the
coming of utilities into the area. We’ll also highlight some interesting
characters and events from years past.
Log
on to threadcity.us for more photos and articles and to discover more
facts about Willimantic, Windham and surrounding towns.
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