Bird's Eye View of Willimantic 4 by Tom Beardsley and Pete Zizka 7-13-2024 |
Today’s photo is a section from from the Aero View of Willimantic,
Connecticut 1909. It shows the area of Main Street between North
and Bank Street. The rapid growth of the city is evidenced by the large
number of buildings and extensive rail depot. The Aero View was produced
by the well-known firm of Bailey and Hughes, then of New York. An aerial
photograph of Willimantic was traced and then inked by Bailey, judging
by the extreme detail in the picture. Oakley Hoopes Bailey was born in
1843 and lived to the grand old age of 104. He began his city drawing
career in the Midwest in 1871. In 1875 he settled in Cambridge,
Massachusetts and concentrated on producing views of New England
communities, which account for two thirds of his output. He produced no
less than 130 views of Massachusetts’s communities. From 1877 to 1879 he
collaborated with his brother's old partner, J. C. Hazen, until the
latter married in 1879. Oakley Bailey continued to produce views in
collaboration with others. He moved to New York City in 1901 after the
death of his wife. In 1904 he entered into partnership with Thomas
Hughes to create the team who were responsible for the 1909 "aero view,"
a term apparently coined by Oakley. Bailey produced his last aero view
in 1926 at the age of 83. Bailey's work - an estimated 374 prints, was
not of the highest artistic quality, but it does provide a wealth of
architectural and business information for modern urban scholars.
Publishers and artists of these views, on average, would ask for between
200 and 3000 subscribers, and each lithographic print would sell for
between two and three dollars. Extra income was gleaned by the sales of
the prints of the vignettes of businesses and private homes, which
bordered many of the views. Door-to-door salesmen sold unordered copies
of the views to the communities’ bookstores. The detail of the 1909 view
is exceptional. It reveals Willimantic at its industrial height. To the
left of the lithograph, the sheer size of the Willimantic Linen
Company's Mill Number Four, which burnt down two years ago, can be
appreciated. There is also a good view of Mill Number Three, which stood
on Recreation Park, until it was demolished in the late 1920s. It is
also interesting to see the density of the built-up area around Temple
Street, Center Street and Broad street. This area is better known today
as the Major Parcel. The Streets were demolished in 1974. Close
inspection also shows the Willimantic High School (burnt 1913) and The
Willimantic Normal School (burnt 1940). And if you look really
carefully, you can see the Willimantic Colts old baseball stadium which
stood on Memorial Field, between Tingley and Watson Streets. There are
also some excellent thumbnail views, including the Windham Silk Company,
which stood on North Street until the early 1970s, a number of the Hill
District's Victorian mansions, the original Jordan Hardware Building,
which burnt down in 1916. Oscar Tanner's Saloon on Union Street is also
featured. This was a Willimantic landmark. Oscar Tanner (1858-1933) was
a Bostonian, and an accomplished sportsman who managed the Willimantic
Colts professional baseball team in the early 1890s. He was also well
known for promoting professional boxing contests in Willimantic. He was
also twice mayor (1898-99 and 1903-05), and a close friend of John L.
Sullivan, the world champion heavyweight boxer. Sullivan regularly
visited his old friend in Willimantic, and could often be found in
Tanner's Union Street saloon, the OT Cafe. Beyond Tanner's saloon, there
are other noticeable features on the 1909, such as the wide-open spaces
today occupied by Eastern Connecticut State University, and w.hat
appears to be a windmill on an undeveloped portion of Lewiston Avenue,
just north of The Lutheran Church on the corner of Summit and Oak. Go to
the Willimantic Library and take a look. Is it a windmill? Probably.
This area, before the development of Lewiston Avenue, served as the
market gardens of J. A. Lewis. The windmill most likely powered a water
pump. Visit us at threadcity.us for more photos and stories. << to see full map, click here>> |
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