Tuesday, July 1 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm EDT
The Ridgefield Historical Society and The Meetinghouse in Ridgebury proudly present historian Keith Marshall Jones III who will give the illustrated presentation, Rochambeau – America’s Forgotten French Founding Father, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 6:30pm in the historic Meetinghouse at 602 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield, CT. Held in honor of the 300th anniversary of Rochambeau’s birth (July 1, 1725), the presentation will be followed by a reception.
Tickets are limited, non-refundable, and expected to sell out quickly. Admission is $15 for members of the Ridgefield Historical Society and The Meetinghouse in Ridgebury, and $20 for those who aren’t yet members. Tickets can be purchased online here: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/rochambeau-americas-forgotten-french-founding-father
On July 1, 1781, French Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, celebrated his 56th birthday right here in Ridgefield. While his superbly equipped and immaculately clad 4,700-man army camped in Ridgebury Parish, en route to Yorktown to join General George Washington’s forces and secure American independence, the Comte dined at Ensign Samuel Keeler’s nearby tavern. The following morning, one of his regimental chaplains conducted Connecticut’s first inland Catholic Mass.
Join Keith Marshall Jones III on July 1 to commemorate Rochambeau’s birthday visit and explore the story of his army’s two-day stay in Ridgefield. Learn why French money, arms, and manpower paved the way for American independence. Discover how it was Rochambeau, not General George Washington, who devised the bold stale-mate-breaking strategy that led to the decisive victory at Yorktown, and how he later narrowly escaped the guillotine during the French Revolution as thanks for his efforts.
Keith Marshall Jones III, Founding President of the Ridgefield Historical Society, is the author of THE BATTLE OF RIDGEFIELD, Benedict Arnold, the Patriot Militia and the Surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut (2024). Other books include: JOHN LAURANCE, the Immigrant Founding Father America Never Knew (awarded the American Philosophical Society’s 2019 “Publication of the Year”); CONGRESS AS MY GOVERNMENT, Chief Justice John Marshall in the War for Independence (2008); Farmers Against the Crown (2002); and The Farms of Farmingville (2001). He lives in New York City and Connecticut.
For more information contact: [email protected] or 203-438-5821
