Willimantic, Connecticut - Giant Frogs on Thread Spools - Roadside Attractions on Waymarking.com

Willimantic is best known for its legend,"The Battle of Frog Pond". It was an incident in 1754 around the time of the French and Indian War. The citizens of Windham (Willimantic is located in Windham) were awakened in the middle of the night by a tremendously frightening racket just outside of town. Assuming the worst, they seized their arms and prepared for the impending Indian attack. When morning arrived, the armed villagers marched in the direction of the noise only to discover that the nearby pond had dried up, and the area was littered with hundreds of dead bullfrogs. The frogs that still lived were heading to the Willimantic River in search of water. Thus, the fearsome sounds that had plagued the citizenry the previous night had not been Indians but rather bullfrogs “fighting” for water. The pond was renamed Frog Pond, the story spread throughout the towns and colonies, and the legend was born. To commemorate the incident, the town has erected a Frog Bridge featuring giant frog sculptures atop spools of thread. The thread spools are included in the bridge's design because Willimantic was once known as “Thread City.” The American Thread Company had a mill on the banks of the Willimantic River, and was at one time the largest employer in the state as well as one of the largest producers of thread in the world.

Weekday Hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Weekend Hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link] Price of Admission: Not Listed Location Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/19/2009 Whisky 333 visited it 07/06/2009 nomadwillie visited it

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