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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260315T140000
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DTSTAMP:20260416T124059
CREATED:20251222T022455Z
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UID:22736-1773583200-1773583200@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org
SUMMARY:Faces from the Past: A History Mystery that Connects a Family to Ridgefield
DESCRIPTION:Get Tickets Here\n\n\n\n\nFaces from the Past: A History Mystery that Connects a Family to Ridgefield\n\n\n\nNote: This program was scheduled for Sun. Feb. 1 but because of illness has been postponed to Sun. March 15\, 2026 at 2 pm. \n\n\n\nA family lost\, now found through the collision of serendipity and sheer luck. A prominent foundational Ridgefield family whose revolutionary story has been forgotten for 200 years\, will now be revealed. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSix portraits from the early 19th Century comprise a remarkable art and history mystery\, which began in Ridgefield. Their story will be revealed on Sunday\, March 15\, at 2 p.m. at Lounsbury House at 316 Main St. in Ridgefield\, CT by Melanie Beal Marks\, principal researcher and owner of CT House Histories\, who is a member of the Historic Preservation Committee of the Ridgefield Historical Society. This program\, co-sponsored by Lounsbury House\, is part of the Ridgefield Historical Society’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America in 2026. \n\n\n\nAs the national Semiquincentennial celebration begins\, it’s fitting to observe that the patriarch of this family\, Benjamin Lynes\, was personally involved in the Revolutionary War\, as a Redding teenager taken captive by British troops and then as an American soldier\, serving at West Point. He was a longtime prominent resident of Ridgebury and is one of 14 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Ridgebury Cemetery. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe six portraits from the Lynes family will be on loan from a private collector for the afternoon program and this presentation will mark the very first time this collection of portraits has been seen publicly. There will be ample opportunity to see these paintings\, done by at least two different artists (unknown). Come learn about the subjects’ storied lives while living in Ridgefield\, New York City and Norwalk and discover how these portraits landed in the hands of the current owner. \n\n\n\nMelanie Beal Marks\, whose meticulous house histories bring a wealth of documented information to homeowners who engage her\, is also recognized for her knowledge of the itinerant portraitist Ammi Phillips. In 2022\, she helped organize an exhibit of Phillips’ work with the Kent Historical Society. Melanie had been studying Ammi Phillips\, also known as the “Kent Limner\,” for several years\, helping to establish provenance for paintings done nearly 200 years ago. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOn Jan 25 Melanie will share the story of how the Lynes portraits came to her attention and how she found the keys to unlocking the mystery of who this group of portraits included. She’ll share the stories of Patriot and patriarch\, Benjamin Lynes’ five children but will focus in on his son\, Samuel\, Samuel’s wife\, and their daughter and her husband. Their portraits will also be on display – as well as that of Benjamin’s wife. It’s a story of many twists\, a genealogical/historical mystery\, now solved. \n\n\n\nTickets for this program are limited\, nonrefundable\, and available from the Ridgefield Historical Society at ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org Refreshments will be served. The media sponsor for this event is Bedford and New Canaan Magazine. For more information contact info@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org or 203-438-5821. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGet Tickets Here
URL:https://ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org/event/faces-from-the-past-a-history-mystery-that-connects-a-family-to-ridgefield/
LOCATION:Lounsbury House\, 316 Main Street\, Ridgefield\, Connecticut\, 06877
CATEGORIES:America 250
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260108T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260108T193000
DTSTAMP:20260416T124059
CREATED:20251220T034953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251223T182124Z
UID:22729-1767897000-1767900600@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org
SUMMARY:God Save the King! Loyalism in Ridgefield\, Connecticut During the American Revolution
DESCRIPTION:Get Tickets Here\n\n\n\n\nGod Save the King! Loyalism in Ridgefield\, Connecticut During the American Revolution\n\n\n\nOn Thursday\, January 8\, 2026\, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.\, the Ridgefield Historical Society will host Keith Marshall Jones III\, author\, historian\, and the founding President of the Ridgefield Historical Society\, who will give an illustrated presentation and sign his new book\, “God Save the King! Loyalism in Ridgefield\, Connecticut During the American Revolution 1765-1786”\, at St. Stephen’s Church North Hall\, 353 Main Street\, Ridgefield\, CT. Our friends at Books on the Common will have books for sale at the presentation. Admission is free\, but tickets are required and a limited quantity are available online here. Donations to support the work of the Ridgefield Historical Society are appreciated. This program is part of the Ridgefield Historical Society’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America in 2026. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhy did the Connecticut legislature call Ridgefield a “Tory Town?” Who were the local Loyalists that would not disavow British King George until six months after the Battle of Bunker (Breeds) Hill? And\, what fate befell them after Ridgefield became the last of Connecticut’s seventy-two chartered towns to join the Patriot cause? Learn how entwined loyalties to the Church\, the land\, community\, Connecticut Colony\, and the British Crown turned neighbor against neighbor in Ridgefield’s darkest chapter of the Revolutionary era. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKeith Marshall Jones III is author of several books including: THE BATTLE OF RIDGEFIELD\, sub-titled Benedict Arnold\, the Patriot Militia\, and the Surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut (2024); 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); The Farms of Farmingville (2001). Keith lives in New York City and Connecticut. \n\n\n\nThe snow date is Fri. Jan. 9 at 6:30pm. For more information contact the Ridgefield Historical Society at info@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org or 203-438-5821\, or view ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGet Tickets Here
URL:https://ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org/event/god-save-the-king-loyalism-in-ridgefield-connecticut-during-the-american-revolution/
LOCATION:Saint Stephen’s Church North Hall\, 353 Main Street\, Ridgefield\, Connecticut\, 06877\, United States
CATEGORIES:America 250
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250704T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250704T150000
DTSTAMP:20260416T124059
CREATED:20250614T161612Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250614T162659Z
UID:22211-1751626800-1751641200@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org
SUMMARY:Ridgefield's America 250 Kickoff
DESCRIPTION:July 4 Event Begins Year of Celebration \n\n\n\nRidgefield Commemorates America at 250 Commission’s year of townwide initiatives to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence starting on July 4\, 2025\, with the Keeler Tavern Museum and History Center’s traditional July 4 celebration from 11 to 3. The Ridgefield Historical Society will be at the event and we invite everyone to stop at our table to say hello and to talk about the amazing history of our town. Bring questions – we love them! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBell ringing has long been a part of July 4 celebrations\, so stop by the Ridgefield Historical Society table to pick up your own bell to herald the beginning of a year of celebration of the freedoms our forefathers fought for. Traditionally\, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is “tapped” at 2 pm on July 4 in a ceremony honoring the signing of the Declaration of Independence on that date in 1776. Many towns across the country ring church bells and school bells at the same time. \n\n\n\n\nIf you’ve wondered about the name of the street or road on which you live\, come ask for its history. We’ll be equipped with Ridgefield Names by Jack Sanders\, which includes not only streets and roads\, but also interesting place names\, some of them pretty amusing. (Ever heard of a place called Peespunk? Do you know where the Wolf Pits were? What’s one of the most misspelled road names in Ridgefield?) \n\n\n\nThe day will begin with a fife and drum duo marching down Main Street to KTM&HC. Throughout the day\, visitors will enjoy a wide range of family-friendly activities\, including: museum tours; costumed reenactors; demonstrations of historic crafts such as spinning and shoemaking; kids’ games\, crafts\, and a scavenger hunt; live music and dance on the tented terrace; a dunk tank to dunk King George; a vintage firetruck; an art exhibit in the barn curated by the Ridgefield Guild of Artists; free watermelon; assorted merchandise; and more! Grilled BBQ menu options and other refreshments will be on sale. The event will culminate with the reading of the Declaration of Independence by community members\, followed by a rendition of “America the Beautiful” and a reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech\, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFree admission. No onsite parking. The event will begin with a fife and drum duo marching down Main Street to KTM&HC. Throughout the day\, visitors will enjoy a wide range of family-friendly activities\, including: museum tours; costumed reenactors; demonstrations of historic crafts such as spinning and shoemaking; kids’ games\, crafts\, and a scavenger hunt; live music and dance on the tented terrace; a dunk tank to dunk King George; a vintage firetruck; an art exhibit in the barn curated by the Ridgefield Guild of Artists; free watermelon; assorted merchandise; and more! Grilled BBQ menu options and other refreshments will be on sale. The event will culminate with the reading of the Declaration of Independence by community members\, followed by a rendition of “America the Beautiful” and a reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech\, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” \n\n\n\nFree admission. No onsite parking. All proceeds from the BBQ to benefit the RCA250 town committee. \n\n\n\nAs Ridgefield’s United States Semiquincentennial year gets underway\, it’s a great time to learn about and celebrate the history of our town and delve into how it fits into the fabric of our country. Events will continue throughout the next year\, culminating in the town’s 250th celebration on July 4\, 2026. For more information\, visit ridgefieldct250.org.
URL:https://ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org/event/ridgefields-america-250-kickoff/
LOCATION:Keeler Tavern\, 152 Main Street\, Ridgefield\, Connecticut\, 06877
CATEGORIES:America 250,Special Events
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