Page "Windham, Connecticut" Paragraph 4

The town of Windham is made up of four parts ; North Windham, Windham Center, South Windham, and Willimantic.

As with many towns with abundant river water-power, mills are a very large part of the history of the town.

The mills sprang up around the Willimantic River in the borough of Willimantic, while Windham remained a farming community.

North and South Windham had limited industry.

The populated area of town in the colonial period was Windham Center.

When the industrial revolution came to the United States, the mills grew and Willimantic became the more populated area.

In 1877 The Willimantic Enterprise newspaper started serving the citizens of Windham and surrounding towns.

The newspaper grew, and became the Willimantic Chronicle, and later The Chronicle.

The newspaper has been published by the same family for five generations.

In 1889 the Willimantic State Normal School opened its doors.

( A “ normal school ” was a school of higher education which women went to after High School to become teachers.

) The course of study was two years long.

Women signed a contract stating they would only teach in Connecticut and received free tuition and books.

Room and board was $ 3. 50 a week.

The school became Willimantic State College in 1959, and in 1967 Eastern Connecticut State College.

Then in 1983 the college received university status and afterwards became part of the state university system as Eastern Connecticut State University.