Putnam, Connecticut
Putnam, Connecticut Location within the state of Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°54′22″N 71°52′13″W / 41.90611, -71.87028
NECTA	Worcester MA
Region	Northeastern Connecticut
Incorporated	1855
Government
- Type	Council-manager
- Board of selectmen	Bob Viens, Mayor Richard C. Place, Deputy Mayor David W. Coderre Frederick C. Hedenberg Alma D. Morey Jitendra "Jay" Sinha Owen A. Tarr
- Town administrator	Douglas M. Cutler
Area
- Total	52.8 km² (20.4 sq mi)
- Land	52.6 km² (20.3 sq mi)
- Water	0.3 km² (0.1 sq mi)
Elevation	125 m (410 ft)
Population (2005)
- Total	9,288
- Density	177/km² (458/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06260
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-62710
GNIS feature ID	0213494
Website: http://www.putnamct.us/

Putnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,002 at the 2000 census.

History

Oak Hill scene, about 1911

Putnam was incorporated in 1855, which separated it from Killingly, Pomfret and Thompson. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam.

Putnam was a key contributor in providing clothing and other goods to the Civil War soldiers. There were numerous mills and a train ran through the town, providing transportation for the goods being produced.

On Aug. 19, 1955, Putnam was devastated by floods resulting from torrential downpours caused by two hurricanes, which hit Connecticut within the span of a week. Hurricane Connie affected Connecticut on Aug. 13, dropping between four and six inches (152 mm) of rain across the state. Hurricane Diane soaked the state with 14 inches (360 mm) of rain on Aug. 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 barrels burst, lighting up the night. The railroad bed was washed away.

More recently town has developed a large antique center. Antique shops line Main St. and other areas in town. People travel great distances to shop in these stores.

Main Street, looking south, from a postcard sent in 1915

Recently, the town made national news after an individual was shot twice by masked robbers while waiting in a group overnight outside of a local Wal-Mart for the release of the Playstation 3 video game console. The alleged perpetrators have been apprehended.^[1]

Putnam was also the unlikely base of operations for the All-Russian Fascist Organization, a pre-war Russian emigre group that advocated fascism for the country under Anastasy Vonsyatsky.^[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (52.8 km²), of which, 20.3 square miles (52.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.54%) is water.

Notable Residents

• Brooke Brodack, aka "Brookers", famous internet personality.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2006, there were 8,998 people, 3,683 households, and 2,290 families residing in the town. The population density was 443.6 people per square mile (171.3/km²). There were 3,955 housing units at an average density of 194.9/sq mi (75.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.32% White, 1.30% African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.

There were 3,683 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,010, and the median income for a family was $53,460. Males had a median income of $37,390 versus $26,558 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,597. About 4.8% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Putnam High School, ca. 1907

• Public
  • Putnam Elementary School — K-5th grade
  • Putnam Middle School — 6th-8th grade
  • Putnam High School — 9th-12th grade

• Private
  • Saint Mary School — Private school for K-8th grade, based on members of nearby St. Mary's Catholic Church.
  • 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 for three years in a row (2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007).^[4]
• Erkin Ahmedi and Deniz Secilmis won 4th place for Putnam Science Academy in Entomology at the 2006 National Science Olympiad hosted at Indiana University.

Sports

The Putnam Town Hall Bell, now in Rotary Park

Putnam High School's athletic programs, nicknamed the Clippers, have captured four Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference State Championships in several sports. The Putnam Clippers football team defeated Haddam-Killingworth 20-14 for the 1994 Class S Championship. The Clippers lost championship games to Ansonia in 1984 and to Trinity Catholic in 1993.^[5] The Putnam Clipper boys' basketball team won the Class S championship in 1986 against Portland 60-58. The team lost the championship game in 1929, 1930, 1956, 1995 and 2006.^[5]The Baseball team won the 1985 Class S title, topping Thomaston 7-3.^[5] The Clipper Softball team won the 1989 Class S crown, defeating Old Saybrook 7-1. The team finished as the runner up in 1992 and 1993.^[5]

References

External links

• Town government Web site
• Mystic Country: The Eastern Regional Tourism District
• St. Mary's School in Putnam
• Putnam Science Academy Web site
• Bradley Playhouse Web site

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