History of Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town was founded in 1897 under the name of Mansfield Wesleyans. Like many football clubs, their name derives from a local church, in this case the Wesleyan church on Bridge Street. Playing in Chocolate and Sky Blue shirts, with Royal Blue shorts and socks, the club played in friendly matches and local cup ties. Its first game was on 4 September 1897, drawing 2–2 against Sherwood Foresters. Mansfield first joined a league in the 1902–03 season, competing in the Mansfield and District Amateur League. 6 September 1902 saw the Wesleyans lose their first league fixture 1-0 away at Mansfield Corinthians. A week later, Shirebrook Swifts put 13 past the Mansfield goalkeeper without reply, the worst defeat ever suffered by the club in a competitive match. The team ended its first season in 7th place (of 12).
Mansfield Center Historic District
The area that became the town of Mansfield was first settled about 1692, when Storrs Street was laid out and 21 large house lots were allocated. Two buildings survive from the early period of settlement: the Old Uncle Hall Place, set well on the west side of the street, is a significantly altered house built about 1694, and the Eleazer Williams House, built 1710, is a well-preserved Georgian parsonage house. The village was largely bypassed by industrial development in the town, which resulted in the creation of a number of small mill villages, and to some extent by the establishment of the University of Connecticut at Storrs to the north. The result is a cluster of mainly residential 18th and 19th-century buildings, along with the town hall, library, general store, and Congregational church. Also surviving is an early 19th-century animal pound, a rectangular stone enclosure now located on private property.