Battle of the Frogs
The Battle of the Frogs was a frog-related incident in the Connecticut Colony town of Windham in 1754.
Illustration from The story of Bacchus, and Centennial souvenir | |
| Date | June or July 1754 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Frog Pond (then Follett's Pond) |
| Location | Windham, Connecticut Colony, Thirteen Colonies |
| Coordinates | 41°42′15.8″N 72°8′10.2″W |
| Also known as | Windham Frog Fight Windham Frog Fright |
| Type | Local legend |
| Cause | Water scarcity or a lekking |
| Participants | Townspeople of Windham, bullfrogs |
| Deaths | Hundreds if not thousands of bullfrogs |
According to the legend, on a summer night, residents of the town were awakened by a mysterious loud noise of which they could not identify the source. Being the French and Indian War, the townspeople were wary of a possible attack from the French or Native Americans. The odd noise seemed to emanate from above and some people heard words in noise, thought to be the demands of the supposed attacking force or threats against prominent men in their community. This led them to panic and assume that Windham was under attack, some of them mistaking the croaks for shouted words or the beating of drums. A scouting party was sent out to investigate or negotiate. In the morning, hundreds of dead bullfrogs were found along the shore of a millpond east of the village. The loud croaking was largely attributed to a battle between the frogs, a lekking involving fighting over diminished territory in a drought-stricken pond.
The "battle" that the Windhamites had with the frogs became a running joke in the region. Windham then embraced the frog as an emblem for the community, adopting a town seal with a frog and featuring frogs on currency from Windham Bank in the 19th century. Ballads and an opera were written about the Battle of the Frogs. The Thread City Crossing in Willimantic is colloquially known as the "Frog Bridge" for the four enormous copper frogs perched at each corner.