Four bronze frogs sit atop large spools of thread, each being symbolic of Willimantic.

My mom used to drive me to Willimantic to purchase discounted yarn produced by the textile mill. This town was built upon its cotton thread industry.

The frogs, however, have a more interesting history.  They commemorate the 1754 "Battle of the Frogs" that took place in Windham.

It is said that residents spent a tense night listening to a fierce battle amongst the Indians.  The next morning, however, the townspeople were surprised to learn that the Indians had not been engaged in a vicious battle; Rather, the fierce, loud sounds had come from bullfrogs.. Legend says the frogs had been fighting for the water that remained in a dried-up pond.

Photos taken by Stephen Walkup, 9 years old.
(10/29/2004)

Yes, the frogs do have a name:

Willy
         Manny
                  Windy
                              Swift.

Willy & Manny are take-offs from "Willimantic."

Windy stands for Windham.

Swift is another ancestral reference: Willimantic is Algonquin for "The land of the swift-running water."

The frogs were named in October 2004, as part of a town spirit contest sponsored by the Windham Textile and History Museum.