Battle of Ridgefield Advisory Committee
The Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project initiative is guided by a Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project Advisory Committee, composed of Connecticut’s leading historians, archaeologists, tribal representatives, preservationists, and civic leaders. Members include:
- Stephen Bartkus, Ridgefield Historical Society Executive Director
- Dr. Andy Horowitz, Connecticut State Historian and Professor of History at UConn
- Ed Hynes, Battle of Ridgefield Historian
- Keith Jones, Ridgefield Historical Society Founding President, Battle of Ridgefield Historian, and Author of two books about the Battle
- Cathy Labadia, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer and Archaeologist
- Rudy Marconi, Ridgefield First Selectperson
- Dr. Anthony Martin, Central Connecticut State University Professor and Archaeologist
- Dan O’Brien, Chairman of the Ridgefield Historic District Commission
- Betsy Reid, Ridgefield Historical Society Collections Manager
- Robert Ross, CT Office of Military Affairs Executive Director
- Steven Meyers, Ridgefield Historical Society Board President
- James Segelstein, Ridgefield Historical Society Board of Directors and Chairman of the Battle of Ridgefield Project Advisory Committee
- Dr. Sarah Sportman, Connecticut State Archaeologist
- Ruth Torres, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of CT Humanities and Brown University Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative
- Dr. Tom Valluzzo, Battle of Ridgefield Historian
The Ridgefield Historical Society is once again partnering with Heritage Consultants, a Connecticut-based cultural resource management firm nationally recognized for its battlefield investigations. The project is led by a distinguished team of experts: Dr. David Naumec, Dr. Kevin McBride, and David George.
Mr. David George has 30 years of work in southern New England archaeology with a focus on the first contact between Europeans and Native Americans, and early historic sites, including Revolutionary War-era residences and Fort Griswold, the site of a 1781 Groton Heights Battle.
Dr. Kevin McBride, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and former Director of Research at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, has more than 40 years of experience in Colonial and Native American history and has directed 14 National Park Service battlefield studies across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island with Dr. Naumec.
Dr. Naumec emphasizes the importance of the upcoming survey, “We’re standing on historic ground. Every artifact we uncover has the potential to confirm—or even rewrite—a chapter of Ridgefield’s Revolutionary War story. This project allows us to reconstruct the battle through archaeology, combining historical records with physical evidence left behind to better understand how the conflict unfolded—and the experiences of the soldiers and civilians caught in it.”
Dr. David Naumec is a military historian and battlefield archaeologist whose work has shaped preservation efforts for 20 years at both the state and national levels. Dr. Naumec emphasizes the importance of the upcoming survey, “We’re standing on historic ground. Every artifact we uncover has the potential to confirm—or even rewrite—a chapter of Ridgefield’s Revolutionary War story. This project allows us to reconstruct the battle through archaeology, combining historical records with physical evidence left behind to better understand how the conflict unfolded—and the experiences of the soldiers and civilians caught in it.”
Using advanced hi-tech archaeological methods—including metal detection, ground-penetrating radar, and precision GPS/GIS mapping—the team is documenting the battlefield’s extent and integrity. Their findings will help guide local preservation efforts and expand our understanding of the Revolutionary War in Connecticut.