Pomfret Fact # 1 — James A. McNeill Whistler lived here. You may not recognize his name, but you most definitely know his mother! Pomfret Fact # 2 — Pomfret’s origin is traced to an Indian chief that sold over 15,000 acres to 12 businessmen. I wonder what he got for that? Pomfret Fact # 3 — «Pomfret» is a pretty cool name, don’t you think? The marker is located on the Mashamoquet Road(Rt. 44) in front of Town Hall. It’s a two-sided marker from the CT Historical Commission, with the familiar white lettering on a blue background. It has the same inscription on both sides. The marker dates to 1979 and is in very good condition. The full inscription reads: The Town began as the«Mashamoquet Purchase,» 15,100 acres brought by twelve proprietors in 1686 from James Fitch of Norwich, who had acquired it from the Indian sachem, Owaneco. In 1713 the Town was incorporated and named for Pontefract in Yorkshire, England. On Old Windham Road stands the Abington Meeting House(1751), the oldest Connecticut church in continuous use, The Pomfret Public Library is the successor to the oldest such society in eastern Connecticut and the Social Library of Abington(1813) is the oldest active library formed by women in America. The Pomfret Manufacturing Company(1806) located along the Quinebaug River in a section that is now part of Putnam, was the first large cotton textile mill in the State. Among one-time residents of Pomfret are Israel Putnam, a major general in the Revolutionary War; James A. McNeill Whistler, artist; and Louise Chandler Moutlon and Robert Hillyer, poets. Erected 1979 by the Town of Pomfret, the Pomfret Historical Society, and the Connecticut Historical Commission.
