Postal Ridgefield
(May 6 – August 15, 2019)
This exhibit, sponsored by the Historical Society and assembled by Jack and Sally Sanders from material in their own collection, showed the many, varied, and often fascinating aspects of Ridgefield’s postal history.
Mail had long been a popular and affordable way to send messages to family, friends, and businesses. And despite lack of electronics and high-speed transportation for most of its history, U.S. mail was incredibly efficient.
The first mail to Ridgefield from the outside world arrived via stagecoach at the Keeler Tavern. In 1793, a year after the U.S. Post Office Department was created, Ridgefield’s first official post office opened in the King & Dole Store, now the Aldrich Museum offices.
In the years that followed, post offices were often set up in stores, whose owners were also the postmasters. By 1900, there were also neighborhood post offices in Ridgebury, Titicus, and Branchville. The first freestanding post office opened in 1922, right across the street, where Addessi Jewelers currently stands.
Ridgefield had a rich postal history in another respect. Amazingly, seven Ridgefielders have been honored on U.S. stamps. In addition, scores of U.S. stamps have been designed by Ridgefield artists.
For more information, visit Jack Sanders’ website at RidgefieldHistory.com.
Authors From Ridgefield
(Jan. 20 – August 15, 2019)
Five Pulitzer Prize winners and one Nobel Prize winner are among the writers who have called Ridgefield home. This presentation is a sampling of books written by Ridgefielders, complementing the exhibit upstairs in the main hall featuring books about Ridgefield.
