Photograph: First City Government of Willimantic, CT, 1893

Photograph

Windham Textile and History Museum

Photo, matte, and frame

The image is a vintage framed photograph featuring a grid layout of black-and-white portraits of men, each numbered and dressed in formal attire, likely taken in the late 19th century as indicated by their attire. Below the grid, there is printed text introducing the individuals as the "First City Government of Willimantic, Conn., Elected December 4th, 1893," with further identification details such as names and titles, suggesting the individuals were part of the municipal governance structure at that time. The frame is wooden with a decorative border surrounding the central photo montage, and the visible wear on the frame indicates its historical age.

Name/Title

Photograph: First City Government of Willimantic, CT, 1893

Entry/Object ID

2024.72.01

Description

A black-and-white photograph of the first city government of Willimantic, CT, Dec. 4, 1893. Willimantic, an industrial neighborhood in the town of Windham, CT, became a borough in 1833, and in 1893 its status was upgraded to a city. The photograph is made up of fifteen portraits of 15 men who served as mayor, aldermen, and councilmen of Willimantic's first city government. For a history of the borough of Willimantic, see "History of Windham County, Connecticut," Bayles, Richard M.; New York: W.W. Preston, 1889. Under Connecticut law, urbanized areas within towns could petition for state charters as boroughs or cities, which gave them limited self-government -- the right to tax and govern themselves in order to address urban issues like paving streets, fire prevention and protection, police protection, water and sewer systems, zoning, building codes, etc. Townspeople living outside of the borough or city limits were not eligible for such services, did not pay taxes towards them, and could not vote for borough or city officials. (They did pay town taxes, receive town services like schools, and vote for town officials, however.) It was almost a dual system of government, and it kept the peace among urban and rural townspeople who had different needs and different ideas about taxes and government services.

Photograph Details

Type of Photograph

Albumen Print

Subject Person or Organization

1. George M. Harrington, Mayor; 2. Charles A. Capen, Alderman; 3. Herbert S. Chappell, Alderman; 4. Michael Nelligan, Alderman; 5. Walter D. Brigham, Alderman; 6. James W. Hillhouse, Councilman; 7. Walter Bennet, Councilman; 8. James R. Ross, Councilman; 9. Lorenzo Litchfield, Councilman; 10. Fred A. Sanderson, Councilman; 11. Edward A. Parent Councilman; 12. Leander Freeman, Councilman; 13. Anderson T. Walker, Councilman; 14. Timothy J. Regan, Councilman; and 15. Herbert A. Sanderson, City Clerk

Subject Place

Neighborhood

Willimantic, CT

City

Windham, CT

Continent

North America

Region

Northeast

Collection

General Collection

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Gleason, Frank

Role

Photographer

Date made

1893

Time Period

19th Century

Place

Neighborhood

Willimantic, CT

City

Windham, CT

Continent

North America

Region

Northeast

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Photograph, Black-and-White

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Photograph

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Graphic Documents

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Dimensions include matte, but not frame.

Height

13 in

Width

16 in

Location

Exhibit Room

Mill Manager's Dining Room Exhibit

* Untyped Location

Main Museum Building

Date

December 8, 2024

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Date Examined

Dec 8, 2024

Examined By

Eves, J.

Copyright

Type of License

None

Copyright Holder

Gleason, Frank

Copyright Date

1893

Created By

historian@millmuseum.org

Create Date

December 8, 2024

Updated By

historian@millmuseum.org

Update Date

December 8, 2024