Meeting House, Willington – Doug Kerr
The small town of Willington is located on the western edge of Tolland County and is bordered by the Willimantic River on its west. Incorporated in 1727, the town remained agricultural in nature until the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. Townspeople used the abundant waters of the Willimantic River for power and built woolen mills and a glass factory. Today, the town has returned to its rural nature with agriculture as its principal industry and is a bedroom community to larger surrounding towns. American historian, educator, and minister, Jared Sparks, was born in Willington. He served as President of Harvard University from 1849 to 1853.
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Places
“Willington Historical Society,” 2012. Link.
Documents
“Map - Town of Willington. (Petersen Collection).” Willington, CT, ca. 1850s. University of Connecticut Libraries - Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Willington - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2013. Link.
“Willington Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
Books
Willington Historical Society. Chronology of Willington, Connecticut, 1727-1927: The First Two Hundred Years. Willington, CT: Willington Historical Society, 1977.
Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties, Connecticut: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Early Settled Families. Chicago, IL: J.H. Beers & Co., 1903. Link.
Willington Historical Society, and Ronald Demers. Modernization in a New England Town: A History of Willington, Connecticut. Willington, CT: Willington Historical Society, 1983.
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