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The Thread City
The Thread City. Look at this photograph
carefully. It is the frontispiece to the H. W.
Rich's Thread City publication. But is this
actually Willimantic? If so, where was the
photograph taken? Also, can anyone name the
buildings? We suspect that this is the
photograph of another town, and that somewhere
there is a book that boasts a picture of
Willimantic.
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Courtesy of Vin Crosbie |
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Courtesy of Vin Crosbie |
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Town Hall
Windham's beautiful town hall, built in 1896,
and located on Main Street in downtown
Willimantic. It has changed little since this
1909 photograph.
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Buckingham House
The Buckingham House, partially visible
on the right, was razed in preparation for the
building of the new Post Office.
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Post Office - 1910
This
picture was taken during the construction of the
old Willimantic Post Office. The building,
constructed with Indiana limestone, was finished
in 1910 |
Post Office - 1912
The
recently completed Windham Post Office, pictured
in 1912. It is now home of the Main Street Cafe
Restaurant
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 Post Office - 1921
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Natchaug School
Original wooden building
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Natchaug School - 1957
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First District
Schoolhouse.
This building sat on the corner of Windham and Valley Sts. It was razed in
preparation for the building of what would be
called the Frederick R. Noble School.
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First District Schoolhouse
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Windham Street School
Children 1904
(this school replaced Dist. 1 school)
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Second District Schoolhouse
Located near Linen Company |
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Windham High
School
Prospect Street Facade
This rare picture ishows the Prospect St. façade
of the original Windham High School. It was
built in 1896 was destroyed by fire in 1913 This
picture was made from a collection of glass
negatives. |
The
first Windham High School,
destroyed by fire in 1913.
A
colorized version of the
Windham
High School postcard.
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Windham High School - 1913
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View
of the first Windham High School
from Windham St.
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Normal School
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Normal School
Under construction
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Model School
Originally built as the Model
School
for the Normal School, it was later
renamed
for longtime prncipal Frederick R Noble. |
Architect's rendering of new
Model School for Willimantic State
Teacher's College. It replaced
the original model school which was destroyed by
a fire.
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ECSU
Ffirst dorm north of Prospect Street |
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State Trade School
This building started out as the Turner Silk
Mill and later became, as the sign says, the
State Trade School. It stood on the corner of
Valley and Bank Streets.
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Trade School
Young men are working on their projects as part
of their Electrical Department course work at
the Willimantic Trade School which was located
on the corner of Valley and Bank Streets
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Trade School
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Willimantic
Almshouse
The
Willimantic Almshouse was built in 1877. It
provided assistance to the needy and poor of the
borough. They lived there worked for their board
on the establishment's farm. It was demolished
in the 1950s. The Friendly's Restaurant stands
on this site today.
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Willimantic Water Works
Pumping Station
The Pumping Station is located just across the
border in the town of Mansfield, Connecticut. It
was built in 1888, and is still used to pump
drinking water to area residents.
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Willimantic
Water Works
1936
Construction of the treatment facility
(the dam had been built many years before). The
1889 History of Windham County, Connecticut by
Richard M. Bayles says, “Yet another fine drive,
but somewhat longer, is the one north through
Mansfield street to the Storrs agricultural
school. On this route is passed the Willimantic
Water Works pumping station. The Natchaug river
is dammed at this point, forming a beautiful
lake, with grounds laid out very tastily as a
small park.
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Willimantic
Water Works
That same book by Bayles gives a fairly
comprehensive history of the Water Works,
including this piece, "A dam and pumping
station, and engineer's house were erected at
Conantville, about one and a half miles north of
the village, on the Natchaug, and a reservoir
was built on Hosmer mountain, south of the
village."
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Willimantic Pumping Station |
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Pumping Station - 1904 |
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Willimantic Reservoir |
Willimantic Reservoir |
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Saint Joseph's
Hospital on Jackson St.
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This is an early photo of Ward
"C" at St. Joseph's Hospital on
Jackson Street.
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 1925
graduates of Saint Joseph’s Hospital Training
SchoolThese
are the 1925 graduates of Saint Joseph’s
Hospital Training School. The hospital had a two
year, three month training program. The grads
from Willimantic are Mary McKenna on the far
left and Mary Moriarty on the far right. The
hospital served the community from 1907-1933
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Clark Maternity Hospital
<<click here to read Tom Beardsley's
article on the Clark Maternity
Hospital>>
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Doctor Mason's Hospital - 1922 |
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Doctor Mason's Hospital |
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Windham Hospital DedicationGovernor Wilbur Cross at the Cornerstone
Dedication Ceremony at Windham Community
Memorial Hospital, April 12, 1932
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Main Street
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Willimantic's Main
St.
The
north side of Main Street is
pictured in this 1937
photograph. The Union Shoe store
can be seen on the right in the
Murray Block. Going up Main is
the A & P grocery, the Wilson
Drug Company, Bill's No. 7
Restaurant, the First National
store in the old Shea Block and
the Bay State Drug Company in
the Loomer Opera House Block
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The
Willimantic Gas
and Electric Light Plant
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Willimantic Fairgrounds
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Willimantic
Public Works Dept. GarageThis is the old Willimantic City Public Works
Dept. Garage. It was built in 1903 and was
originally used as a trolley barn for the
Willimantic-Baltic Trolley
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Park Spring
Jackson Street looking North |
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Windham Textile and History Museum
The Windham
Textile and History Museum located at 157
Union/Main Street, has occupied the Willimantic
Linen Company's 1877 company store since it was
founded in 1985 by Laura Knott Twine.
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Willimantic
Elks Lodge 1311
on Pleasant Street
Nativity Scene
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New Willimantic Cemetery |
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Looking East from
Windham Mills smokestack
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View from Footbridge
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Unknown Location -
Posibly from Campground |
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