Welcome to Willimantic, home of the Battle of the Frogs! Willimantic is a census-designated place located in the town of Windham. It was originally incorporated as a city in 1893 and was known as "Thread City" because of its thread mills. The city prospered until after World War II and ultimately foundered in 1985 when American Thread, a major employer in the area, moved to North Carolina, and the city consolidated back into the town in 1983. While there are numerous interesting facts about the town, the Battle of the Frogs is the most intriguing. According to local legend, in 1754 the croaking of thousands of bullfrogs in a nearby pond caused a panic among the citizens who thought the town was under attack. The story spread through the colonies to everyone's amusement. The town embraced the story, even using a bullfrog as it's town seal. The story of "battle" is now a point of pride for the town. Willimantic also holds an annual boom box parade where residents tune there boom box to a specific station in lieu of having a marching band. The town was also home to a number of notable people including serial killer William Bonin, Senator Chris Dodd, and football coach Skip Holtz. We hope you enjoy our journey through Willimantic!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
