From the Beginning

For those that are not familiar with the city of Willimantic’s textile history. The mills that still lay along Main Street show how monumental and beautifully constructed buildings can still stand strong against time. Along lower Main Street, are three large mills that had once belonged to one of the most successful manufactures of spooled thread in United States history. These mills were owned and operated by the Willimantic Linen Company.  

The Willimantic Linen Company was formed by two Hartford businessmen who were Connecticut natives that were born in the early nineteenth century. These two businessmen were Austin Dunham and Lawson Ives. Their company operated by the success it gained through its ventures that varied in size. They had become involved with Willimantic’s booming textile industry in the 1840’s. This had occurred through the partnership that they had established with two other textile manufactures by the names of William Jillson and John Capen. Between the four men, they constructed the Welles Manufacturing Company. 

With the success that Dunham and Ives received, they decided to start a new venture in Willimantic. They would now be involved with the production of coarse linen goods. After such success, they founded the Willimantic Linen Company in 1854. This new business, located on the lower end corner of Main Street and Jackson Street, occupied three mills that were previously owned by the Jillson family. After the occupation of the mills, the company became the dominant textile manufacturer in the city of Willimantic.