Dam at Cargill Falls on the Quinebaug River in downtown Putnam – Photograph by User:Pi.1415926535 on Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA 3.0)

The Windham County town of Putnam is located in the northeast corner of the state and borders on Rhode Island. Its name honors one of Connecticut’s revolutionary war heroes, General Israel Putnam. As with many New England towns, Putnam’s growth came from its river, the Quinebaug. In the mid-1700s, grist and saw mills supported the local farming economy. By 1855, when Putnam incorporated from portions of Pomfret, Thompson, and Killingly, the industrial age had already brought several large cotton mills to the area along with a railway line. Today, Putnam’s historic attractions include its River Mills Heritage Trail, which includes six factory sites and the mansion of textile executive George Morse.

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