Documenting Ridgefield’s Response to COVID-19: Ashley Vidmar, 10th and 12th Grade English Teacher at Ridgefield High School

Since 2002, Ridgefield Historical Society has been archiving photographs and artifacts that document Ridgefield’s history. As the keepers of our town’s history, our task now is to collect material documenting the coronavirus pandemic in our community.

We often understand our present by looking to our past, so this month the Scott House Journal recounts how Ridgefield reacted in the 1918 influenza pandemic. In another 100 years, should there be a global event affecting Ridgefielders, the Ridgefield Historical Society’s records of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a valuable resource.

Sharon Dunphy, co-chair of the COVID-19 Archives Committee, introduces the project.

Please fill out the form below before uploading your item for consideration by our collections committee. If accepted, your contribution will become part of the Historical Society’s Documenting Ridgefield’s Response to COVID-19 archive.

Open COVID-19 Archive Submission Form

Note: Please do not put yourself in danger when collecting material. Practice social distancing and official guidelines for staying safe.

Local business owners, students, health care workers, teachers, parents and kids can all help us to preserve this history by sending us photographs, artwork, personal reflections, stories, letters and more. These items, if appropriate, will be stored in our archives and made available to future researchers and visitors to our collection.

Dean Miller, Chair of Ridgefield’s Meals on Wheels, shares his organization’s experiences during the pandemic.

Gerri Lewis, Public Information Officer for the Town of Ridgefield’s Office of Emergency Management, shares her experiences.

First Selectman Rudy Marconi shares his experiences of having COVID-19 and being the leader of our town during this pandemic.

Janine Limoncelli, Ridgefield resident and physician at Weill-Cornell Medical Center, shares her experiences on the front lines.

Macklin Reid of the Ridgefield Press provides testimony of his experiences of the pandemic.

Jake Seem, age 22, Boston University student from Ridgefield shares his experience.