Event Details
Battle of Ridgefield 250th approaches; Bus tour to explore battlefield route and new discoveries
As the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Ridgefield approaches, the Ridgefield Historical Society is offering a rare opportunity to travel the route of the British troops and hear firsthand about archaeological discoveries that have transformed our understanding of the battle.
Battlefield historian and archaeologist Dr. David Naumec, who worked on the Ridgefield Historical Society’s two National Park Service battlefield research projects, will narrate a bus tour following the route taken by British troops from Danbury through Ridgefield on April 27, 1777. Along the way, he will highlight key engagements, archaeological discoveries, and new evidence that has expanded knowledge of how the Battle of Ridgefield unfolded.
The Battle of Ridgefield Bus Tour will take place Sunday, Oct. 18, starting at 10 a.m. from the Scott House, 4 Sunset Lane. Space aboard the bus is very limited, making this a special opportunity to experience the battlefield landscape with one of the historians directly involved in its recent investigation. The tour is expected to last about 90 minutes.
The Scott House itself has a connection to the events of April 27, 1777. In its original location on Main Street, the 1714 saltbox stood near some of the heaviest fighting of the battle. Today, as headquarters of the Ridgefield Historical Society, it sits within another area associated with the battle.
A historian, archaeologist and museum consultant, Dr. Naumec was named Historic New England’s Revolution 250 Research Scholar, studying New England’s Indigenous and African American Revolutionary War veterans. A graduate of UConn, he holds a master’s degree in History and Museum Studies from Tufts University and a PhD in Race and Ethnicity in Early America through the Civil War from Clark University. His research interests include Native American history, colonial North America, Connecticut history and battlefield archaeology. He is museum manager of the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House and Lighthouse Museum with Historic Stonington.
Tickets are limited, nonrefundable, and are expected to sell out quickly