Dunn's Early Days

Dunn's first job was at the Turner Silk Mill, imaged here

The Irish in Windham were an important immigrant and white ethnic group. They were the first to immigrate to the area at the start of the industrial era as according to Ellen D. Larned, the area’s early historian. Not only were they one of the first industrial groups, but they also showed up in strong numbers and became an important backbone to the area’s industries. As the Irish presence increased and when their population had advanced several generations they transitioned from laboring in mills and industries, to small business owners, and by 1905 Willimantic elected its first Irish mayor.

The image above is the Holland Silk Mill where Daniel Dunn was an overseer in the spinning department

That mayor was Daniel (Danny) P. Dunn. Daniel Dunn was a first generation Irish American whose parents came to America from Ireland in the mid-1800s. Patrick and Mary (Morrisey) Dunn had seven children and only one of them survived into adulthood. Daniel was born in Willimantic on September 14^th, 1859. Daniel was raised in Willimantic at 95 Pleasant Street Street, and he attended Willimantic’s First District School until age fourteen. Upon leaving school Daniel became a full-time mill worker at the Turner Silk Mill where he first began working after school. He was later employed at the Holland Silk mill and there, in 1879, he got his first taste of leadership as an overseer in the spinning department. Dunn’s early years show the first step of social mobility the Irish could easily achieve, by going from laborer to supervisor.