Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1920-06-18
EARLY HISTORY
OF PUTNAM
Men Who Had Faith In Future of
Pomfret Factory Struggle to In
corporate the Town
BY Souvenir" VIM. H. Taylor

nVe years ago In the History OF
Windham County published in 1880
by Miss Ellen D. Larned of Thomp-
son, is a very interesting account of
the event. The following are brief
extracts.
The Pomfret Factory (now Put
nam) station on the Norwich and
Worcester railroad opened in 1889
( (the first cars ran from Norwich to
Worcester, Thanksgiving Day, 1880
was the outlet for Pomfret, Wood
stock, parts of Killingly and Thomp-
son, and a wide radius inland"
"A depot village sprang up at
once, business flowed in Asa
Cutler of Killingly was one of the first
capitalists to invest in the growing
village, building a brick block and
many dwelling houses It's first ply
sicians were Doctors Hough, Plimp
ton and Perry; its first lawyer, Har1i-
sen Johnson. I. K. and c. Perrin
Manning and Searls, Williams and Ely
We're among tie first TO engage IN
trade John @. Fox, postmaster II
West Thompson, moved his Office ta
Putnam Depot and set up a grocery
store. Handsome stone factories
were erected n RhodesYlile betWee
Lo4o-lo by Hosea ballcu OF ooh
socket =. Z. Nightingale x Co, ". )
Morse & Co. Of Providence, bringing
great influx Of foreign help as well as
cauital AS usual IA eucb r.ari4
growth there were ci&shings and rival
ness De@#een the different villages
business int ests and religious de
loAiA@tio2s. WITH increasing
business 3ha population dlIhcultez
Hultih22a. ne proposal TO consolI
0a1e as distinct Independent town
ship IN 1919, owing to vehement op-
position from representatives OF fout
towns, was rejected.
Leaving out Woodstock land, the
petitioners IN 1851 endeavored to Sc
cure parts Of Pomfret, Thompson and
Killingly but were again beaten"
Taking Putnam for their name and
pattern, the new town champions bat
tied bravely On. The rise of the
know-Nothing party and political
combinations turned the scale in their
favor The final trial in May, 1855,
excited unusual interest in the State.
Very able counsel was employed on
both sides. The closing arguments
were heard in one of the largest halls
in Hartford, which was crowded with
Gha,. -,
man made one of his most brilliant eff
forts in behalf Of the old towns He
was answered by one of Windham
County's own orators, Ex-Governor
Cleveland, of Hampton, whose sympa-
thies were strongly enlisted in the de-
velopment of manufacturing enter
prise and railroad Capitalization, and
who carried, committee, assembly and
audience with him in his mastery ex-
position of the true sources of munich
pal and power and prosperity, and his
plea with the petitioners should be al
lowed their reasonable request for ex-
pansion and independence"
Six years Of arduous conflict were
rewarded by triumphant victory,
which was joyfully celebrated on the
succeeding Fourth of July. Putnam s
subsequent career was typified in the
result of this struggle. Her energy
and uncomfortable resolution have
overborne every opposing obstacle.
Few inland towns manifest
greater business activity and more va
ried enterprise. 1t was admirable
manufacturing facilities and is the
mart and market of many thriving
towns. Its Importance as a manufac-
turing, business and railroad centre is
every year more manifest. The
Putnam Patriot, established in 1872
by Everett c. Stone, fifty represents
the interests Of the town. Within the
border of the town are the old mother
church of Killingly Hill (now known
as Putnam Heights}, the first Killing
ly burying ground, given to the town
by Peter Aspenwall, and the Revolu-
tionary Elm of the old South Neigh
borhood.
Many prominent men have been as
ISOLATED with her past hi.tory-Cap-
tain John Sabin, the first settler of
Pomfret, Benjamin Eaton at the Up
N T.