Putnam is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an o ...
in
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a County (United States), county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 116,418, making it the least populous county in Connect ...
, United States. The population was 9,224 at the
2020 census.
History
Putnam, originally known as Aspinock, then part of
Killingly
Killingly is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,752 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It consists of the borough of Danielson, Connecticut, Dani ...
, is a
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe
Italy
* '' Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World ...
incorporated in 1855. Created from sections of Killingly,
Pomfret
Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of ...
, and
Thompson
Thompson may refer to:
People
* Thompson (surname)
* Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician
Places Australia
*Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality
Bulgaria
* Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province
Canada ...
, the town was named in honor of Revolutionary War General
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...
.
Putnam was a key contributor in providing
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natura ...
and other goods to the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' deri ...
s. There were numerous
mills
Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to:
As a name
* Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin
* Mills (given name)
*Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine
Places Uni ...
and a
train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...
ran through the town, providing transportation for the goods being produced.
On August 19, 1955, Putnam was devastated by
floods
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
from torrential downpours caused by two
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
s, which hit Connecticut within the span of a week.
Hurricane Connie
Hurricane Connie was a Category 4 hurricane that contributed to significant flooding across the eastern United States in August 1955, just days before Hurricane Diane affected the same general area. Connie formed on August 3 from a tropical ...
affected Connecticut on August 13, dropping between four and six inches (152 mm) of rain across the state.
Hurricane Diane
Hurricane Diane was the first Atlantic hurricane to cause more than an estimated $1 billion in damage (in 1955 dollars, which would be $ today), including direct costs and the loss of business and personal revenue. It formed on August 7 ...
soaked the state with of rain on August 18–19. The result was flooding in many of the state's rivers, including the
Quinebaug River. The resulting torrent of water destroyed homes, businesses and factories. Floating
magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ...
barrels burst, lighting up the night. The railroad bed was washed away.
Toward the end of the twentieth century, the town took advantage of the empty mills and underutilized downtown commercial buildings to develop a large antique center.
Antique shop
An antique shop (or antiques shop) is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally or, with the advent of the Internet, found online.
An antiques shop can also be located within an ant ...
s lined Main Street and other areas in town. Beginning in the early 2000s, many of the antique stores begun to close and were replaced by restaurants, small shops, and a vibrant arts community including
Arts and Framing,
Sawmill Pottery, and
Silver Circle Gallery.
Putnam was also the unlikely base of operations for the
All-Russian Fascist Organization, a pre-war
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
n emigre group that advocated
fascism
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...
for the country under
Anastasy Vonsyatsky
Anastasy Andreyevich Vonsyatsky (russian: Анаста́сий Андре́евич Вонся́цкий, pl, Anastazy Wąsiacki; June 12, 1898 – February 5, 1965), better known in the United States as Anastase Andreivitch Vonsiatsky, was a Ru ...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...
, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km), of which, 20.3 square miles (52.6 km) are land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km) (0.54%) is water. The town is drained by the
Quinebaug River, which runs north and south through the center of town. A tributary of the Quinebaug, the
Five Mile River, runs north and south through East Putnam. Putnam has common boundaries with Thompson on the north (approx. 6 mi.), with Rhode Island on the east (approx. 2 mi.), with Killingly on the south (approx. 7 mi.) and with
Pomfret
Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of ...
and
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...
on the west (approx. 4 mi.).
The town is crossed by
Interstate 395,
U.S. Route 44,
Connecticut Route 12,
Connecticut Route 21
Route 21 is a state highway in rural northeastern Connecticut. It extends from Route 12 (Connecticut), Route 12 in Killingly, Connecticut, Killingly to Route 193 (Connecticut), Route 193 in Thompson, Connecticut, Thompson. It serv ...
and
Connecticut Route 171.
Principal communities
*
Putnam District
*Putnam Heights
*East Putnam
Demographics
As of the
2010 census,
there were 9,584 people, 3,950 households, and 2,396 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,299 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.1%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
, 1.3%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 1.0%
Asian, 0.0%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.6% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 2.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.
Of the 3,950 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.9 years old.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,171 and the median income for a family was $63,030. Males had a median income of $51,586 versus $44,901 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $26,994. About 10.6% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Putnam District or "Historic Downtown" is home to many arts events and businesses. Aligning Main Street, which runs through the center of Downtown, there are over seven arts-related businesses in just one block of the town. In 2010, a small group of local business owners including Sean Condon of Glimpse of Gaia, Dot Burnworth of
Sawmill Pottery, Carly Sage of
Silver Circle Gallery, and others started
First Friday Putnam, a monthly arts-based event running from March to October.
Putnam is home to
WINY, an AM and FM radio station.
Bradley Playhouse
Originally called the Bradley Theatre, the
Bradley Playhouse was completed on January 29, 1901. In 1914 the playhouse suffered a series of fires, and upon remodeling changed the interior to better showcase movies, as they were of increased popularity at the time. In 1984, the Northeast Repertory Theatre was formed, bringing live performance back to the Bradley.
Historic pictures
File:School Street, Putnam, CT.jpg, School Street
File:PostcardPutnamCTPutnamSquareCirca1915.jpg, Putnam Square,
File:PostcardPutnamCTMainStreetLkgSouth1908.jpg, Main Street, looking south,
File:PostcardPutnamCTSouthMainStreet1906.jpg, South Main Street
File:PostcardPutnamCTOldRailroadDepot1906.jpg, "Old" railroad depot, 1906
File:PostcardPutnamCTTrainDepot1905.jpg, "New" train station,
File:PostcardPutnamCTRailroadStation1914.jpg, The station in 1914
File:PostcardPutnamCTMainStLookingSouthCA1915.jpg, Main St.
Schools
*Public
** Putnam Elementary School – K–5th grade
** Putnam Middle School – 6th–8th grade
**
Putnam High School – 9th–12th grade
*Private
** Putnam Science Academy – Private school for students in Grades 9–12 wanting to further their education in the world of science.
** Tri-State Christian Academy (grades K–8)
National competitions
* Putnam Science Academy has entered and won the Connecticut
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...
for four years in a row (2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, and 2007–2008).
2008 Division C - State Results
- Connecticut Science Olympiad - (Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows, Windows, macOS, Android (operating system), Android and iOS. It features calculation or computation capabilities, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro (comp ...
*.XLS document)
* Putnam was also featured in a mid-1970s summer game show on ABC, "Almost Anything Goes", where teams from towns under 20,000 were invited to compete.
Transportation
Putnam is served by the Northeastern Connecticut Transit District The Northeastern Connecticut Transit District (NECTD) is an agency providing multiple forms of public transportation in northeastern Connecticut. Six fixed routes (with deviation on request) provide week-round service to the towns of Brooklyn, Conne ...
.
Notable locations
* Cady-Copp House – historic home at 115 Liberty Highway and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
* Putnam Town Hall – historic building on 126 Church Street and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
* Putnam Railroad Station – historic train station at 35 and 45-47 Main Street and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Notable people
* Bruce Boisclair
Bruce Armand Boisclair (born December 9, 1952) is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder, who spent his entire major league career with the New York Mets from to . He also played for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball ...
(born 1952), baseball outfielder
* Henry Breault (1900–1941), Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...
recipient
* Brooke Brodack (born 1986), viral video
A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander H ...
comedian
* Lewis C. Carpenter
Lewis Cass Carpenter (February 20, 1836 – March 6, 1908) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.
Born in Putnam, Connecticut, Carpenter attended public schools before moving to New Jersey, where he taught school. He was appointed St ...
(1836–1908), congressman from South Carolina
* John N. Dempsey
John Noel Dempsey (January 3, 1915 – July 16, 1989) was an American politician who was the List of Governors of Connecticut, 81st Governor of Connecticut. He was a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, and began his political career at th ...
(1915–1989), Mayor of Putnam, Governor of Connecticut
* Candy LaChance
George Joseph "Candy" LaChance (February 14, 1870 – August 18, 1932) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1893 and 1905 for the Brooklyn Grooms / Bridegrooms, Balt ...
(1870–1932), baseball first baseman
* Richard Normand Langlois (born 1952), economist and professor
* William St. Onge (1914–1970), congressman
* Michael Bruce Ross
Michael Bruce Ross (July 26, 1961 – May 13, 2005) was an American serial killer. In 2005, he was executed by the state of Connecticut. Connecticut ended capital punishment in 2012, and the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled capital punishment u ...
(1959–2005), serial killer
* Bob Schaefer
Robert Walden Schaefer (born May 22, 1944) is an American baseball executive. He is currently the special assistant to the general manager with the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB), and is a former interim manager, bench coach ...
(born 1944), baseball coach
* Rollie Sheldon (born 1936), baseball pitcher
* Gertrude Chandler Warner
Gertrude Chandler Warner (April 16, 1890 – August 30, 1979) was an American author, mainly of children's stories. She was most famous for writing the original book of ''The Boxcar Children'' and for the next eighteen books in the series.
Bio ...
(1890–1979), children's author
References
External links
Town of Putnam
Putnam Public Library
Aspinock Historical Society of Putnam
*
{{authority control
Towns in Windham County, Connecticut
Towns in Connecticut