Inventions Created in Windham, CT

Creativity, Ingenuity, Entrepreneurship

Have you ever wondered how things got invented? Or who invented them? Would you be surprised if some of the coolest things ever invented were created by your neighbor? Windham has been a source of some of the most amazing and world changing inventions. The crackers you buy and eat with cheese are made by a machine that can be traced back to a Windham, CT inventor! If you are curious about what other really cool things were invented in Windham, and how they changed the world, please visit our exhibit.

"Windham Inventors and How They Changed the World."

The exhibit will be on display at the Jillson House until January 31, 2025.

Paper_making_machineV0023749 _small_edited_edited.png

Listen & Watch

Our exhibit showcases sixteen amazing inventions created by Windham Residents. Below are short videos about eight of our favorite. Click on the picture and sit back and enjoy. Think about how each invention paved the way for today's technology. Can you imagine a world without cider and crackers? No way!

But we are glad to see the corset go out of fashion!

Videos

Some Exceptional Inventions

Spiral Sewing Machine-1885

Robert Binns

Horse Shoe Corsets-1866

Catherine Allsop Griswold

Thread Spool Labelling Machine-1862

Hezekiah Conant

Dr. Lee's Bilious Pills-1797

Samuel Lee, Jr.

Jillson Palmer Cotton Opener-1870

HR Lead

Sugar Crusher-1882

Ernest Pierce Chesbro

Cracker Machine-1859

Henry McCollum

Cider Making-1871

George B. Hamlin

Our Exhibit

Other Patents Created in Windham

Please come and visit our exhibit at the Jillson House Museum. We have information on 16 different inventions created in Windham. We guarantee you will leave saying, "WOW!" Here are a sample.....

Testimonials

Pastor Roger, Windham

"I teach Home School kids and this has been one of the most interesting and fun to teach programs I have presented. I had no idea so many cool things were invented in Windham."

James, 5, Windham

"I love the crackers. It was fun to make them, but more fun to eat them. I learned a lot about my town. We have smart people in our town."

Lisa Driver, MI

"The Jillson House is a beautiful building. We enjoyed visiting and learning about the Windham inventors. We never realized Windham produced so many patents. Eye opening."

For Our Educators:

If you are interested in sharing some of these amazing inventions with your students, we have lesson plans you can download. Just click on the image.

PART 1

PART 4

PART 2

PART 3

CRACKERS

PAPER MAKING

Educators

We wish to thank the CT Humanities for both their scholarly and financial support. Without a Quick Grant from them this exhibit would not have been possible.

We would also like to thank or Historian, Bev York, our Video Producer, Michael Mahony and our Designer, Diane Nadeau. A great team makes a great exhibit.