Donate

December 2024

Dear Friend of Ridgefield History,

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, this year we were able to expand our positive impact, building community bonds through shared history, education, and programming. I’m writing today to ask you to support the Ridgefield Historical Society’s Annual Appeal to ensure our nonprofit organization will remain a vibrant force for historic preservation, knowledge, and learning in Ridgefield.

Over the past year your contributions have directly enabled us to:

• Create educational opportunities for all Ridgefield High School freshmen through a new hands-on Native American history program, featuring ancient artifacts from our collection excavated by archaeologists at Richardson Park.

• List the Peter Parley and Branchville Schoolhouses on the State Register of Historic Places and sign a lease with the town for the 1872 Branchville Schoolhouse, which will allow us to restore this historic landmark for the community and serve as its caretaker through 2049.

• Expand the Ridgefield Holiday House Tour and Preview Party in partnership with Tiger Hollow, attracting nearly 1,000 visitors and boosting the town’s economy.

• Provide opportunities for aspiring history professionals by hiring three student interns and offering a scholarship to a deserving Ridgefield High School senior.

• Amplify the stories of underrepresented groups by working with Ridgefield Public Schools’ 8^th grade students who studied the life of Ann, an enslaved inhabitant of the Scott House, in the annual Witness Stones Project.

• Foster intergenerational conversation by collaborating with Ridgefield CT Pride to guide Ridgefield High School students in conducting 25 oral history interviews with members of Ridgefield’s LGBTQ community.

• Partner with Keith Jones, our Founding President, on publishing his new book about this pivotal event in our town’s history, The Battle of Ridgefield, informed by our National Park Service Battlefield Project, now in its second phase to archaeologically study the battle.

We are incredibly grateful for your support of our mission! Your tax-deductible year-end contribution to our Annual Appeal is vital to sustaining our organization. Your generous gift will allow us to expand programming, preserve and share our collections, and inspire present and future generations to celebrate Ridgefield’s remarkable history. Please make a donation today!

With gratitude and warm regards,

Stephen Bartkus

Executive Director