Willimantic Expands

Willimantic Expands

The first major mills are built in during the 1820's, first by Perez O. Richmond. These mills rely on power from the Willimantic River and the local working population. These mills, and the following, lure new inhabitants to the area and contribute greatly to the development of Willimantic as an industrial city. During this time, Willimantic gains approximately 1000 new inhabitants, 6 cotton factories, 6 stores, 3 groceries, 2 shoe shops, 1 druggist, 5 blacksmiths, 1 millinery, 2 schools, 2 taverns, and 40 houses.

Thomas R. Beardsley, Willimantic Industry and Community: The Rise and Decline of a Connecticut Textile City (Willimantic, CT: Windham Textile & History Community, 1993), 4-5.

1820/1829

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