Notes

What would you would’ve liked to have done if you’d had time/resources?

 If I had more time and access to resources, I would have liked to have been able to explore the different cemeteries and graveyards that were in Willimantic in 1910. It would have been intriguing to see the varying religious demoninations and locations each of them were at.

Things you learned from this project

I learned a lot from this project. Being able to explore a town's social societies and organizations can really allow an individual a great sense of knowledge about a town and city as a whole. Willimantic, for a smaller city, had a lot to offer in 1910. Especially, with the amount of libraries and other cultural amenities like live entertainment. I also have a better understanding of different masonic-based organizations and other fraternal orders, as I never knew what exactly each of these really signified before.

Additional topics for future exploration

Sports - Willimantic had baseball teams in addition to other leagues. The Willimantic Chronicle frequently dedicated half a page to reporting on sports events from around the country.

In 1910, the most spectacular, and racially-charged, sporting event was the "fight of the century" on July 4, a boxing match where African American Jack Johnson defeated the white boxer James Jeffries. Boxing had become increasingly dominated by African American champions, leading to calls for a "Great White Hope" to reestablish white superiority over blacks in the boxing world. The Johnson-Jeffries event was hyped as a direct competition between white-versus-black to drum up interest and profit. (Older readers might be reminded of the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Bobbie Riggs and Billie Jean King in 1973.) Race riots spread across the country in the aftermath of Johnson's victory. Locally, the Willimantic Chronicle reported on politicians ordering movie theaters not to show the fight, and later coverage reported Jeffries' claim that he had been drugged during the fight.