Ice Skating at the Park, early 1900s
Recreation Park
Willimantic, CT
Description
This Windham town park is an athletic facility with a wooded riverside area. A paved quarter-mile loop offers easy walking with handicapped access. The best seasons to visit are when the leaves are off the trees and shrubs, and the river and an old mill site are easy to see.
Directions
The park is near the intersection of Route 66 (Main Street) and Route 14 (Windham Road) in Willimantic. The main entrance and parking lot are on Route 14 just south of the intersection. Another entrance on Main Street by the tennis courts has only pedestrian access.
Trail Notes
At the main entrance on Route 14, drive between the stone pillars and park near the entrance. Walk to the right around the curved pavement, which was once a horse-racing track. In 1883 the Willimantic Linen Company leased the field to an agricultural fair association for the Willimantic Fair, complete with horse racing and a midway. The horses ran around the track pulling sulkies (small one-person carriages) with jockeys perched on top. In 1913 the American Thread Company (which now owned the area) canceled the lease and created a park for its employees and the public. The park offered courts for games of tennis, quoits and roque. In winter, skaters glided around a flooded field. In summer, there were band concerts. The first of Willimantic's baseball leagues began playing here, a rivalry that continues today. Currently, the park features baseball and soccer fields. Tennis and basketball courts are also available.
River Bend
When you are close to the wooded edge of the park, go over to the fence and turn right to walk beside it out to the Main Street entrance. Walk through the gateway between stone pillars to see the original park sign, "Recreation Park 1915." Turn left along Main Street where the river is close to the sidewalk. If there are no leaves on the trees, you can enjoy a great view of the river turning to flow away from the street, then curving left around the edge of the park. When the water is high, there are showy whitewater areas where the river runs over large rocks.
1915 Map of Mill and Park- Enlarge Map, ?k
Mill Site
The privately owned land inside the fence along the sidewalk has been a mill site since the 1700's. The great bend in the river was a natural place to create a mill race (water channel) to cut across the bend (see map) and divert river water to the mill. In the 1800's there were a succession of textile mills here, powered by a water wheel in the race. Willimantic's first cotton mill was built here in 1822. By 1856, there was a three-story granite mill. When the Willimantic Linen Company took over this mill, it became Mill #3 of their mill complex. For more information about Willimantic's mills, see Windham Mills State Heritage Park.
Walk back through the park gateway and alongside the fence. If there are no leaves on the trees, the mill race is easily seen as it follows along the other side of the fence. After the fence jogs to the left, you will be able to see the remains of a former hydroelectric plant on the site of Mill #3, which was torn down in 1928. Public access is not permitted on this private property.
Farther along, the fence meets the river bend and you can see it roaring by far below. The riverbank is too steep for access, so the bank's edge is fenced for safety. A short distance downstream, the Willimantic River joins the Natchaug River at the headwaters of the Shetucket River. As you stroll back to your car, imagine mill workers, fast horses and baseball teams all sharing this area in the early 1900's.
Credits
Thanks to Jamie Eves, Tom Beardsley and the Windham Textile and History Museum for their assistance.
Top photo: Courtesy of the Windham Textile and History Museum.
Map by Associated Mutual Insurance Co., "Tenements, the American Thread Co., Willimantic Mills, Willimantic, Conn.," surveyed 6 Dec., 1915, by T.C. Fisher, ser. No. 12294. Courtesy of the Windham Textile and History Museum.
This Willimantic River Greenway Parks and Trails Guide was produced by the Willimantic River Alliance and WINCOG. Information in this guide reflects conditions and features as of Spring, 2008. Since conditions change over time, the Alliance is not responsible for changes at this site. This guide was funded with support from the Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, Inc.