The Ridgefield Historical Society’s membership drive takes place during September and we urge you to sign up or renew your support of the work that we do. We have a busy year ahead!
Ridgefield takes great pride in its history: It’s a theme that runs through this town where Connecticut’s only inland battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. But the history of Ridgefield encompasses so much more – from the humble farmers who cleared the land and built the first schools to the leaders of business who built the grand “summer cottages” to the hugely accomplished members of the town’s arts community.
Scott House, the Ridgefield Historical Society headquarters, is the place where Ridgefield stories can be found. As our mission statement says, our “purpose is to preserve, interpret, and foster public knowledge of Ridgefield’s historical, cultural, and architectural heritage.”
We are grateful to all who have contributed photographs, documents and other historical materials and to the volunteers who assess, catalog and make sure that these things are properly stored in our climate-controlled vault and searchable online. Memberships in the Ridgefield Historical Society support this work as well as the preservation of oral histories that use Ridgefield voices to tell Ridgefield’s stories.
We are a source for historical information, working with individual property owners and town officials, and we continue to oversee and support the long-term study of the Battle of Ridgefield in coordination with the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program. The Ridgefield Historical Society is also a collaborator with the Ridgefield Public Schools on such programs as the Witness Stones Project, which honors people once enslaved here.
Our stewardship of the Peter Parley/West Lane Schoolhouse offers townspeople and visitors a taste of 18th and 19th Century education. We have expanded programming there in the past year with the help of volunteer educators who have engaged with both public school and private school students, as well as with other visiting groups.
Support from our members and donors has helped make all this possible.
Membership information is in the mail; if you do not receive a letter, please email [email protected] or visit our website, https://ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org/, and add your name to the list of those who support preserving Ridgefield’s amazing history.
