Thread City Crossing

Direction:

North/South

Southern Terminus:

Pleasant Street (CT 32) in Willimantic

Northern Terminus:

Main Street (CT 66) in Willimantic

Distance:

0.11 miles

Counties:

Windham

Signed:

No

The Thread City Crossing is a bridge over the Willimantic River connecting Pleasant Street (CT 32) on the south side with Main Street (CT 32) on the north side in the downtown area of Willimantic. It is also known as the Frog Bridge because it is surrounded by sculptures of frogs. (And no, it's not just the frog's neck. It's the whole frog!) Why are these sculptures there? They commemorate the "Battle of the Frogs" during the French and Indian War. People living in Windham heard a strange noise in the night and thought that they were being attacked by the French. They grabbed their muskets and fired into the darkness to defend themselves from the perceived attack. When the sun rose in the morning, they discovered that they had been shooting at frogs rather than French invaders.