A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume II, Part 9

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 960

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RUNNING, WALKING AND GO-AS-YOU-PLEASE MATCHES

At one time or another since the Civil war, Willimantic has got into the spotlight in pedestrianism, although the sports of walking and running have greatly slumped since automobiles came in fashion and the law was framed to prevent gambling on races of any kind on tracks, Willimantic's best showing was in the days of yore, when the staid business men of the city today were the athletes of two score years ago. Forty years ago, when Dan O'Leary, the famous "ped," was the real thing, everybody in Willimantic had the heel and toe craze. There were two rival athletic clubs in town with a large member- ship. The Willimantic Athletic Club was headed by John Walden the banker, former city clerk, Fred A. Sanderson, and Ivan Culverhouse. Their quarters were on the top floor of the Savings Institute Building,-now used as a lodge hall by the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Elks. The other organiza- tion was the Young Men's Athletic Club. Thomas Somers, now a member of the famous Birdseye and Somers Corset Company of New York and Bridge- port, was one of the main guys. William J. Sweeney, Patrick Connors, Wil- liam Dennehey, William Foran and others were prominently identified with this organization. The Young Men's Athletic Club started out much the same as Tammany Hall, but soon drifted into another sphere. The boys started what they called the Germania Orchestra. Why they took that name was a mystery, as none of the members had Teutonic blood in his veins.

It seems that about everybody in the club wanted to play a fiddle or some other catgut instrument and the wind pieces were ducked. At that time the orchestra was nearly as large as Charlie Wheeler's band. Oratorio stuff was passed up and the musicians harked back to the pieces of the morning time of melody, when Joshua built the walls of Thebes with ram's horn. The club was first organized over what is now Yonclas' candy kitchen in the Keigwin Block. When the organization became athletic the old St. Joseph's Hall was secured and rigged up for gymnastic purposes.

The champions . were then turned out, each club having some dandies. "Johnnie" Walden was the long distance hiker, and Fred Sanderson was the one-to-five-miler of the blue stocking crowd. Big Dan Killourey, now chief of police, was the Weston distancer while Danny Dunn, mayor and represen- tative, marathoner, had 'em all beat forty ways from the ace at ten miles or the hour heel-and-toe stunt. There were others-but those mentioned copped all the medals and medallions.

There were many exciting dual events between the members of both clubs.

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Most of them were pulled off in the Willimantic Athletic Club quarters, as it was well fitted for sports. In the walking matches, thirty laps in the hall made up a mile. Walden got a large chunk of fame when he beat out a big field of "peds" in a run from Willimantic to Hartford, thirty-one miles. He was the first to scribble his monaker at the old toll bridge over the Connecticut River. Daring Dunn to this day holds the hour record of Willimantic for walking and his ten mile go-as-you-please reeled off in fifty-seven minutes and eighteen seconds on the Willimantic Athletic Club track has never been beaten here. One evening after supper, it is chronicled in pages of sporting history of Windham, the doughty little Dunn ran a fast ten miles and then put in a half hour at ground tumbling, and finished up by trimming a big field in an hour race. That, let it be understood, was long before he got into politics. Even at the latter game he met with defeat but twice, and on those occasions the handicaps were too great for him.

Dunn even to this day shows flashes of his speed of the days of yore. When he was eight years old, he missed one lesson at the old red schoolhouse by following Edward Payson Weston, the grand old man of walking fame, when Weston was crossing the continent. Forty years later the same Danny Dunn, then mayor of Willimantic, escorted Weston into Willimantic in a drizzling rain, with a brass band in front playing a quick step, and about all of the kids of the town bringing up the rear. In his frock coat and plug hat, Dunn shortly afterwards helped Senator Morgan G. Bulkeley and Governor Woodruff review the marching hosts at the bridge celebration in Hartford; but it is doubtful if he ever felt quite as proud as when he trudged behind Edward Payson Weston at the tender age of eight years.

Chief Killourey secured his fame when he walked in a heel-and-toe walking match against Champagne George Elliott, the famous professional pedestrian of that era. Killourey, who has the reputation of being most modest and big- hearted, was at that time employed in the dye house of the Thread works. Champagne Elliott arrived in town and was looking for matches and was told that there was a County Clare man at the dye shop who was considered to be quite good at walking. Elliott came down to the dye shop and said to Kil- lourey, "I hear you're somewhat of a walker. Now I want a match and I will go you for $100." Dan replied, "Pshaw, I couldn't walk you with the record you hold." They talked and talked and finally Elliott got Dan's goat. A match was arranged to take place on the following Good Friday for the hundred "bucks" and the gate receipts. The contest was to be a heel-and-toe contest for ten hours on the forty-two lap track at the old Franklin Hall now known as Central Labor Union Hall on Main Street. Both men toed the scratch at high noon and in a short time the S. R. O. sign was hung at the entrance to the hall and later the borough police had to take care of the crowd that packed the street. The overflow had to be content with bulletins of the race. Killourey got great encouragement from his fellow townspeople and stayed right with Champagne. The latter's fuse blew out in the last half hour of the contest and Killourey won out by two laps. The distance traveled was a little over fifty miles.

There was one occasion when Killourey was defeated, but he says that one was put over on him in that particular instance. It was in a five mile heel- and-toe walking match at the Willimantic Athletic Club quarters. Fred San- derson was his opponent and the race was an even thing until the last half

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mile, when one of the spectators gave Dan the "leg" on one of the turns of the track. Killourey took a big tumble and before he got going right again San- derson had gained a lead of two laps, which could not be reduced before the race ended. Killourey was a regular hornet over the trick but his protest was passed up by the judges. This was before the present day saying was coined "Watch your step." Today Killourey is quite bulky, but can sprint a little yet, and he has to lose the first undesirable citizen that has tried to get away from him.

One of the biggest events between the two clubs was a tug-of-war. Before this match, the Young Men's Athletic Club had scored over their rivals, but upon this occasion, Walden's team got the jump on the word "pull" and after the stipulated time was declared the winner.

On one occasion a six-day walking match was pulled off in the old St. Joseph's Hall. Dan Dwyer, a pedestrian of national fame, was one of the contestants. At another time an endurance contest was staged in the hall of the Keigwin Block. It was announced that Little Mack would walk continu- ously for six days without sleeping. He walked for seventy-two hours. The printed dodgers read "Doors open day and night and Little Mack still walk- ing." The walking was done on a small stage and Little Mack just moped around in a circle. The walking craze was taken up by many in Willimantic at the time. Billy Steele, the once famous boxer and Denny Cronin of Hart- ford who was athletic trainer at Trinity College some years ago, were among the members of the Young Men's Athletic Club.

The Young Men's Athletic Club weathered through many years and turned out a good company of excellent athletes. Its quarters during the last decade of its existence were at the Center Street Armory and at the time of disband- ment, about eighteen years ago, the club was located at the Valley Street Armory.

Some of the famous boxers of Willimantic in the old days were: "Billy" Jackson, who was one of Roosevelt's Rough Riders at San Juan Hill and at the present time Windham and New London County detective for the Superior courts of the two counties. James "Flagg" Doyle, latter famous as an umpire. One of Doyle's greatest battles was with "Steve" Mahoney of Boston on March 17, 1905. Doyle lost but as Mahoney was a top notcher at the time his showing was considered excellent. Postmaster John O'Rourke was also a fine boxer of the years of the Young Men's Athletic Club. "Billy" Malone was another local man handy with the mitts. "Dan" Flaherty was also con- sidered a good man with the gloves as was "Mickey" Welch. There were many others who were included in the list. Of late years, Willimantic has had but very little talent in either the boxing or wrestling game.

BASKETBALL

Of the category of indoor sports, basketball and bowling for many years have been favorite pastimes in Willimantic, although not dating back as far as baseball and horse racing. Willimantic's first organized basketball team was known as the T. R. R.'s, and in the winter of 1900, the team was managed by Harry Potter, who was also a substitute player. The regulars were John F. Collins, Michael F. Sullivan, Fred Hathaway, Louis Dondero and Ernest Mel- lody. This quintet was in existence for four consecutive seasons, disbanding in the spring of 1903. During those years, there were three other teams at various times, Company L, the Thread City Cyclers and the Catholic Club.

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Several series were played among the teams but the T. R. R.'s were rarely ever beaten. In fact, during the four years of the existence of the T. R. R.'s it is claimed by the members that they were only defeated four times. The best basketball teams in Eastern Connecticut were played by the home team. The local games were played on the court of the old Valley Street Armory. In 1903-04, Danny Dunn, who had acquired fame as a baseball manager, became interested in professional basketball and backed a team in a six-club league com- posed of Willimantic, Norwich, New London, Mystic, Putnam and Webster, Mass. The interest was so great in the season of 1904 that the- best and most famed professional players were secured at princely weekly salaries. This brand of the "frenzied" article was too much for the managers of the league, with the result that one by one they "threw up the sponge." Dunn was the gamest and his team was the last to finish the game ;- the last of professional basketball within the confines of Old Windham. The game every year since has been played in the city with the exception of the present. From 1912 up to and including 1917 the Emeralds had a basketball team each season equal to the best in the state and made fine records. Among the players on the Emerald teams in those years were "Scotchy" Higgins, Russell (Blondy) Chappell, the Kiernan brothers, Jack and Bill; the Lewis brothers, "Gene" and Amos, Homer Harrington, Michael McCarthy, Ray Comins, Walter Wood- ward and "Rick" Downer. The Emerald team also played their home games at the Valley Street Armory.

For the past seven years, basketball has flournished at Windham High School, and much of that time the teams were the champions of high schools in Eastern Connecticut. One season the Windham High team was considered the best among the high schools of the state.

Even the girls were strong for the basketball game and during the seasons of 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, the Windham High School girls team made a fine record. Every high school team that boasted of a girls team was challenged, and out of forty-three games played in those four seasons, the Windham girls won thirty-seven,-a remarkable showing. The star players of the team were Marjorie Harvey, Edith Hart, Effie Ross, Mildred Smith, Lois Chappel, Gladys Brown, Alice Kenyon, Katherine Sliea, Edna Vanderman.

Little if any basketball was played during the season of 1918-19 on account of the war. The season of 1919-20 the game came back strong, flourishing like a bay tree so to speak. There was two fine teams at Wind- ham High School, the girls team finishing as state champions and the boys team with a good record.

The Emerald's reorganized in 1919-20, made their best record of any year of the team's history, winning twenty-five out of thirty-two games played. By virtue of winning of single games played. or series of games, the Emerald's were adjudged state champions on their record. The team was made up of "Bobbie" Higgins, "Leo" Normandin, forwards; Larson, center; Pickett, Keirans and Downer, guards.

Company G, Third Regiment Connecticut State Guard, organized a team, but with the Emerald's the popular favorities, the patronage was not enough to finance the military team and in the middle of the season, 1919-20, the team disbanded. This team had one of the finest playing courts in the state in the local state armory.

There were a number of younger teams playing the game who no doubt

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as time wears on and the Emerald players become passe, the younger players will take their places.

BOWLING

Bowling which several years ago went "big," as writers say, was revived in the winter of 1914, when the lower floor of the Center Street Armory was altered over and six handsome alleys installed. The popular style of bowling proved to be that known as duckpins which is in fact everywhere more popular than tenpins or candlepins. The interest did not lag in those years even when there was short time in the factories and with the war on. For the first three seasons a fine league of eight teams flourished, and the best individual and team scores of the state were made. There are so many good players that it would take much space to name them all. During the two seasons following, several small leagues of three and four teams were in existence. Even the girls took an interest in the game. When the new Young Men's Christian Association Building was erected, three fine alleys were installed, which proved to be one of the most interesting places to visit any afternoon or evening when games were on. There were several ladies' bowling leagues, and in time some of the young ladies were as proficient at the game as many men. One remark- able ladies' team was known as the Cunninghams in the season of 1914-15. The members were the Misses Myrtle Cunningham (captain), Olive Jackson and Ella Johnson. This team won in a four-team league known as the Cun- ninghams, Flints, Gordons and Johnsons. Miss Cunningham became famous at the time for the reason that she created two world's records for women at rolling of duckpins, rolling a high single of 142 and three strings of 338.

In the spring of 1918, bowling got a setback when the Center Street Armory was sold to the Willimantic Industrial Company and leased to the Rossie Velvet Company for manufacturing purposes. The alleys were dismantled. Since that time the only place in the city where the game can be played is at the Young Men's Christian Association. Plans are being made, however, for installing of three alleys by Arthur Dubreuil in the basement of his building at the corner of Union and Center streets, which will be welcomed by the fans.

QUOITS

Another sport in which Willimantic has taken much interest is quoits, the famous old Scotch game which scored a hit here about ten years ago. The pastime could hardly be classified as an Olympic event, yet has features about it that require time for a novice to master, a good eye and a strong arm being the essential requirements. There were two quoit clubs in Willimantic at the time in question, the Acorns and the Shamrocks. The Acorns were a frisky lot of Scots well up in the art of heaving the iron rings. They had been or- ganized for a number of years and had a fine court laid out in the "Oaks.", The Shamrocks were not as long in the field. The lineup of this organization to a man consisted of fighting Celts from Munster. Previously to the organ- ization they played individually. The members of the "Kilties" were James P. Cochrane, the military expert, now deceased, Alderman E. Ward Jacobs, William E. Higgins, George Paton, and William Reed. The president of the club was H. C. Murray, the head of the H. C. Murray Company, who died on June 1, 1919, who was always a warm admirer of all such games made fa- mous by Andy Carnegie.

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HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

The Shamrock aggregation had a classy aspect when viewed from the side- lines, as each was a champion in other arts. The list included Big Dan Kil- lourey, chief of police and famous marathoner of thirty years before; Jim Calnen, pharmacist at Hickey's drug store and champion croquet player of the town ; Michael Kelley, the then Oliver Wendell Holmes of Windham High School; Undertaker Eugene Hickey, "Jake" O'Rourke, now postmaster; "Doc" J. F. Moran, Tim McCruhan, James Lynch, Pat Gallivan, Jack Fitzgerald and E. P. Colbert. The Shamrocks' court was on the east side of Hewitt Street, where in the summer of 1917 the school gardens were in bloom. Kil- lourey claimed the town championship by defeating Billy Higgins on one or two occasions. The pair met quite often, with the fortunes of war going either way, so that after many contests it was hard to determine who was the cham- pion. In the doubles, Killourey with Kelley as his partner won the majority of games from the Scotch duo. The accoutrements of the game are two iron pegs driven into the ground with about six inches of the top of the pegs above the ground. The iron rings used are of different weights. Standing back of the pegs even with a mark, the contestant heaves the rings, the object being to make what is considered a "ringer" by getting the iron ring over the other peg fifty-four feet distant. Killourey got to be so proficient at tossing the rings that it stood him in well on the "midway" at the agricultural fairs, and he was barred from throwing rings at canes, because he was so accurate! Kil- lourey claimed another championship-barring Will Casey-that at checkers ! The interest in the game died out in a few years. With the many attractions at Recreation Park, one of them quoits, an attempt is making to revive the game under the instruction of William E. Higgins.

BOXING AND WRESTLING

While Willimantic boasted of a number of young men who were quite handy with the boxing gloves, yet there was none who made any fame outside the borders of the state. The wrestling experts were few in connection besides. The sporting public at intervals of history were keen to witness boxing and wrestling matches and there were from time to time exhibitions carried on by club organizations. Many fine exponents of boxing, including not a few of the champions appeared, at those clubs. For several years the organiza- tion known as the Windham Athletic Club entertained the local sporting pub- lic, chiefly with wrestling matches. Some of the best in the business performed here which included Frank Gotch, champion of the world; Stanislaus Zbysco, Jack McGrath, the Irish giant, Young Gotch, and Bill Collins. The club for a number of years held forth on the top floor of the Holmes Block, once a fraternal lodge hall, and later the club had quarters in the Shea Block at the corner of Main and Railroad streets.

The last boxing card under the auspices of the Windham Athletic Club was held at the Valley Street Armory Memorial Day afternoon, May 30, 1913, with the main bout between Chick West of Holyoke, Mass., and Jeff Smith of New York. In the late spring of 1920 an attempt was made to revive the sport in Willimantic. Two boxing shows were held at Loomer Opera House but as both were not patronized sufficient in numbers of boxing fans and at the box office, the shows were discontinued.

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HISTORY OF THE FAIR GROUNDS

For over thirty years, people in Eastern Connecticut who sought mild recre- ation in the fall of the year generally arranged their dates to take in some of the agricultural fairs, and as a rule the "Willimantic Fair" was one that secured its share of patronage. The attendances were usually large and the attractions offered were equal if not superior to other fairs east of the Connecticut River. The real shutting down of fairs in Willimantic came about in 1912 when the American Thread Company decided to turn Willimantic's famous trotting ring and "midway" into a "Recreation Park" for its employes and for the people of the city. The last fair was held in 1913 and each year since the old fair ground has been gradually beautified, so that at the present time Willi- mantic has a park that is second to none in New England. The old track still remains, but is used only by athletes. There are now two baseball diamonds, quoit and tennis courts, roque courts and many other attractions. A handsome grandstand has been built. Band concerts are given in the summer time, and while many miss the fairs of the past, yet it is felt that a world of good has been accomplished in the new American Thread Company Recreation Park of the American Thread Company.

HISTORY OF THE PARK

Tuesday forenoon, October 30, 1913, marked the passing of one of the thread city's best advertising assets, when Chauncey E. Macfarlane, who as the auctioneer as well as an official of the Horseshoe Park Agricultural Asso- ciation, sold at public auction all the fair buildings on the land of the Amer- ican Thread Company in Willimantic. This sale was brought about by the action of the thread company, who had previously given notice that it wished the land for other purposes. The property owned by the fair association included a grandstand that had a seating capacity of 1,800 people, a large exhibition hall, three large stables which contained about eighty stalls, two cattle sheds, the judges' stand, band stand, a vaudeville stage, the track and outside fences.

The track which was built in 1882 was considered by horsemen the peer of any half-mile ring in the State of Connecticut and had but few superiors in New England. The original cost of building the track was $12,000 and between that time and the closing of the track several thousands of dollars had been expended in improvements.

In the passing of the fair association, interest in horse racing in Willimantic dropped, and at the present time not a person in the city owns a horse for racing purposes, and very few even for driving purposes, so general is the use of the automobile. For forty years or more the thread city had been prom- inently identified throughout the state with horse racing in connection with agricultural fairs, no city in the country had fair grounds more centrally located or the accommodations better arranged for the patronage of the public.

The association which controlled the fair grounds was an off-shoot of the old Willimantic Farmers Club that ran fairs in the '70s at Pleasant Valley, two miles northwest of Willimantic. In January, 1883, the gentlemen back of the farmers' club, living in eight towns about Willimantic, decided at their annual meeting that it was for the best interest of the fair to secure a location nearer the railroad.

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Three sites were considered, Isaac Sanderson, a former selectman of the Town of Windham and a famous horseman a decade ago, offered his private half-mile track and land surrounding, situated just east of the fair grounds mentioned in this narrative, at what was considered a reasonable figure. An- other was the land known as "Oak Pond" farm. This was listed at $3,800. Col. W. E. Barrows, agent at the time for the Willimantic Linen Company, made a detailed statement of a proposition by the linen company to lease an organization known as the "Willimantic Agricultural and Industrial Asso- ciation," a tract of land situated near mill No. 3, abutting the Natchaug River for a period of five years and the consideration of $5. At the end of

RECREATION PARK, WILLIMANTIC

Formerly Fair Grounds, now Playground for Employes of American Thread Co. Ex-President Taft addressed an audience of five thousand people here on Thursday of "Old School and Old Home Week," 1915.

that period if the company should want the land, satisfactory arrangements could be made for the disposal of the buildings, but the association would be out the expense of grading and improvements. It was claimed that should this become necessary the profits from the enterprise during the period would be sufficient to reimburse the association for all trouble and expense. Points urged in its favor were that the company would use its influence to make it successful and extend its electric lights to the grounds so that with horse racing, evening entertainments might be held.

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A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume II, Part 9

Author: Lincoln, Allen B Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co. Number of Pages: 960

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 960