Norwich bulletin., 1921-12-20

ant street has an interesting article on Willimantics early history and tae frs days of the telephone here, in the Decem- Der issue of Tie Telephone Bulletin, and which is accompanied by rage picture of some of Willimantics telephone peo- pie
 In 1875 Attawanhood, son of Uncas, granted tract of land to sixteen Nor wich settlers among whom were three brothers named Mason and a father and son named Fitch. On account of Indian troubles the land was not settled imme- diately and the Masons and Fitchs ob- tained possession of more than half of it. In 1885 they had it divided into lots which were laid out in three sections.
 In 1889 John Gates bmIt rude shel- ter on one of the sections and thus be- gan the settlement which afterwards became Windham Center.
 This settlement grew rapidly and was incorporated as the town of Windham on May 12, 1892. When the county of Wind had was organized Windham was made | the county seat and the court house was built in 173o.
 In 1919 Windham received a great blow. The county seat was removed to 1 Brooklyn. During almost a hundred i years Windham had been the foremost inland town east of the Connecticut riv- CT. the center of commercial. political and religious activities, but with the remov- al of the county seat to Brooklyn, at tention was turned to the growing settle ment at Willimantic the last of the three l sections to be settled.
 The Indians had called this part of the l tract of land 'Sood outlook" and early in this settlement the rapid fall of the river
 ,olo fno i,, mile proved a great attraction to manu- l facturer, A grist mill and a tannery were first erected. followed by ircn works and a powder mill where gooa share of the powder used by the Conti- mental trops during the Revolutionary war was made.
 In 1922 a little cotton mill was built followed by three more mills which were later absorbed by what is now the inn mense plant of the American Thread company which employs about three thou sand hands and from which Willimantic derives the name Thread City" Other ] large mills of later years are the Quid- nick-Windham Mfg. Co.,, Holland Mfg Co., Wfndham silk mill, S. c. s. Box Co., At wood Machine Co. and Vanderman Mfg. Co.
 In 1883 willimantic became a bor- l Ou54l HlIll I-OI l4is@ Ndl PCiAtCA CD 4iA S' warden. Henry Hall was the first post master, establishing the office in 1927 The first newspaper, the Willimantic edition of the Saturday Transcript a Killingly paper, was established at Will limantic by John Collins The name was later chanqed to Willimantc Jour nal. The Baptist church was the first church organized. the date being Oct. 20 1S27t The weH1l1nown Witmantc Camp Ground was started in 1869. The first railroad through Willimantic wal the New London, Willimantic and PaIrI CT, now the Central Vermont The first train arrived from Norwich in the fall o1 1849, an engine and two passenger coaches. John ?. Lester was the first agent.
 Prominent and active among the earl! settlers and citizens of WllimanGe were Danielson Sessions, a brick maker Asa and Seth Jitson who built "stone row Deacon Charles Lee, who built the b9ari ing tousa which is still standing t ~ corner of Main and Bridge streets, = phen Hosner, for whom Hosner No-7 tain is named Dr. William Witt5r frs resident physician, and Jesse SH9for' who made a comfortable fortune in lan{ deals. He bought the strip of land be tween Main street and the railroa' tra ck-where Franklin Hail now stand for one hundred dollars and sold for six hundred.
 will1mantic was made city In 1893 a the January session of the legislature
 George M. Harrington and E. A. Bucl
 were the first candidates for mayor. Nil Harrington won.
 About 1880 the telephone conpsm. opened an exchange in the back of H
 E. Reningtons store There were onl. about q dozen subscribers to be serve, and Mir. Remington tended to their want