Where They Worked
The Willimantic Normal School officially opened on September 3, 1889. The classes were held on the third floor of the Willimantic Savings Institute on Main Street. The school only anticipated staying in this building for about two years and moving as they grew but they were not able to find another building suitable for their needs. They tried to lease different buildings, including the Washburn block, which was located at the corner of North and Valley Street, but the school was nervous they would not be able to sustain themselves financially if they kept spending their money on expensive rent. They ended up leasing a space half a mile away in the basement of a building on Main Street to accommodate for manual and cooking training. It was not until 1895, that Windham donated six acres of land to the school and hired Charles Beardsley Jr to design the building for future teachers.The school finally had its own building on the corner of Windham and Valley Street.
The first class in the Willimantic Normal School included thirteen women. The Hartford Courant wrote on February 26, 1889 about the requirements for admission to the school. There were three different ways to get accepted into the school. You could have taught successfully for three years, take an exam or have graduated high school. The tuition and textbooks were free as long as students committed to two years of teaching in Connecticut after graduation. The school ran on a semester basis. Each semester the school took on a new class. Each class of students was anticipated to take two years to finish the program.