Famous Visits

One of the most celebrated events to occur at Union Station was the arrival of The Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell was brought to town June 16, 1903, while it was on its way to Boston for the Battle of Bunker Hill’s 128^th anniversary. The Liberty Bell had been on a circuit for thirty years and made 400 stops on its travels and Willimantic was proudly one of them. Much celebration ensued as Willimantic was honored to have been chosen as one of the bell’s stops. The Willimantic Chronicle captured the event and reported “Cheering thousands greet relic on its arrival in Willimantic en route to Boston for Bunker Hill Day.” Large crowds gathered and the towns people bustled to get a look at the historic bell.

Another fame studded moment was when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the city. He arrived on August 23^rd, 1902, by rail. Roosevelt’s visit to the city was very short; the Willimantic Chronicle reported that it lasted little more than ten minutes. His brief stop was made while he was on his way to Providence, Rhode Island. Even if it was a quick visit Roosevelt was still welcomed by adoring crowds and with all the pomp a presidential visit could be expected to have. He traveled a “flag-bedecked [Main Street] and between long lines of cheering citizens.” After being paraded down Main Street, Roosevelt was stopped just before turning back down Railroad Street to head back to the train station, where he delivered a ten-minute speech then got back on his train to continue to Providence. Other notable presidents that passed through the station were Ulysses S. Grant in 1880 and William Howard Taft in 1915.

The station had its share of farewells too. In 1898, Company E, which was mustered up for the Spanish-American War, left Union Station as a crowd of loved ones waved goodbye.