Putnam: a plain guide to the town
Updated September 22, 2026
Putnam is a mill town on the Quinebaug River, incorporated in 1855 out of pieces of Killingly, Pomfret and Thompson and named for General Israel Putnam. The mills are quiet now; downtown carries the town instead, with antique shops, restaurants, a theatre and a radio station along Main Street. This guide is the practical part — where the town offices are, when the library is open, and what's worth a walk.
Town offices and services
Town Hall sits at 200 School Street. Office hours differ from department to department and the town publishes the current ones on its own site, so check there before a trip in for a permit or a tax bill.
- Town Hall: 200 School Street, Putnam. 860-963-6800. putnamct.us
- Putnam Public Library, in the same building at 200 School Street: Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. (closed Saturdays in July and August). 860-963-6826.
- The library has a notary: 10–5 Monday and Wednesday, 10–8 Tuesday and Thursday, 10–5 Friday, 10–3 Saturday. Call first to be sure the notary is in, and bring photo ID.
- Local newspaper archives — the Putnam Patriot and Windham County Observer — are online through the library.
Downtown
Downtown Putnam is walkable end to end. The town built its reputation in the late 1980s on antiques — it was called the Antiques Capital of the East — and antique shops still anchor Main Street alongside restaurants, cafés, bars, galleries, boutiques and the theatre. The town and the Putnam Business Association run the outdoor concerts, river fires, parades and fireworks between them.
We don't rank or recommend individual businesses. What's listed on this site's directory is there because the owner sent it in and we published it.
Outdoors
The three-mile River Trail runs along the Quinebaug with a canoe launch park, a dog park, story-walk kiosks and a bicycle repair station along the way. It ends at the Hale Family YMCA. The Farmers Market Pavilion at 18 Kennedy Drive hosts the Saturday market in season and other community gatherings through the year.
- River Trail: about three miles, with a canoe launch and dog park.
- Farmers Market Pavilion: 18 Kennedy Drive.
- Hale Family YMCA at the end of the trail.
What we're still confirming
Town Hall's department-by-department hours change through the year, so we point you at the town's page rather than printing a schedule that may be out of date. If anything here is wrong, tell us and we'll fix it the same week.