This spring, Ridgefield is digging into its roots—literally. The Ridgefield Historical Society has hired Heritage Consultants to lead the next phase of its Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project, marking a milestone in the town’s effort to uncover new evidence from Connecticut’s only inland Revolutionary War battle. Supported by a second prestigious National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program grant, the initiative represents a major step toward preserving and understanding the April 27, 1777 engagement that once turned Ridgefield’s peaceful streets into a battleground.
Why Now? Why Here?
Few places in Connecticut experienced the Revolutionary War as directly as Ridgefield, where a pivotal clash unfolded between 2,000 British troops under General William Tryon and American defenders led by Generals Benedict Arnold, David Wooster, and Gold Selleck Silliman. The dramatic encounter left a lasting imprint on the town’s landscape and collective memory.
“This is an exceptionally significant site,” said Stephen Bartkus, Executive Director of the Ridgefield Historical Society. “The Battle of Ridgefield took place in the heart of our community. That makes it unique—and especially vulnerable to development. What we discover here doesn’t just deepen our understanding of the past—it helps us preserve it for future generations.”
The Ridgefield Historical Society has spearheaded efforts to investigate and interpret the battlefield, enlisting expert help and forging partnerships with municipal and state officials, property owners, and scholars. This new phase builds directly on earlier successes and returns to the field with renewed momentum—and a team ready to uncover the stories still buried beneath the surface.
Meet the Team
The Ridgefield Historical Society is once again partnering with Heritage Consultants, a Connecticut-based cultural resource management firm nationally recognized for its battlefield investigations. The project is led by a distinguished team of experts: Dr. David Naumec, Dr. Kevin McBride, and David George.
Dr. Naumec is a military historian and battlefield archaeologist whose work has shaped preservation efforts for 20 years at both the state and national levels. Dr. McBride, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and former Director of Research at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, has more than 40 years of experience in Colonial and Native American history and has directed 14 National Park Service battlefield studies across Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island with Dr. Naumec. Mr. George has 30 years of work in southern New England archaeology with a focus on the first contact between Europeans and Native Americans, and early historic sites, including Revolutionary War-era residences and Fort Griswold, the site of a 1781 Groton Heights Battle.
Dr. Naumec emphasizes the importance of the upcoming survey, “We’re standing on historic ground. Every artifact we uncover has the potential to confirm—or even rewrite—a chapter of Ridgefield’s Revolutionary War story. This project allows us to reconstruct the battle through archaeology, combining historical records with physical evidence left behind to better understand how the conflict unfolded—and the experiences of the soldiers and civilians caught in it.”
Using advanced hi-tech archaeological methods—including metal detection, ground-penetrating radar, and precision GPS/GIS mapping—the team will document the battlefield’s extent and integrity. Their findings will help guide local preservation efforts and expand our understanding of the Revolutionary War in Connecticut.
This initiative is guided by a newly formed Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project Advisory Committee, composed of Connecticut’s leading historians, archaeologists, tribal representatives, preservationists, and civic leaders. Members include:
- Stephen Bartkus, Ridgefield Historical Society Executive Director
- Dr. Andy Horowitz, Connecticut State Historian and Professor of History at UConn
- Ed Hynes, Battle of Ridgefield Historian
- Keith Jones, Ridgefield Historical Society Founding President, Battle of Ridgefield Historian, and Author of two books about the Battle
- Cathy Labadia, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer and Archaeologist
- Rudy Marconi, Ridgefield First Selectperson
- Dr. Anthony Martin, Central Connecticut State University Professor and Archaeologist
- Dan O’Brien, Chairman of the Ridgefield Historic District Commission
- Betsy Reid, Ridgefield Historical Society Collections Manager
- Robert Ross, CT Office of Military Affairs Executive Director
- Steven Meyers, Ridgefield Historical Society Board President
- James Segelstein, Ridgefield Historical Society Board of Directors and Chairman of the Battle of Ridgefield Project Advisory Committee
- Dr. Sarah Sportman, Connecticut State Archaeologist
- Ruth Torres, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of CT Humanities and Brown University Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative
- Dr. Tom Valluzzo, Battle of Ridgefield Historian
As the project begins, Ridgefield stands at the forefront of Revolutionary War scholarship in New England. The Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project is a community-led movement to rediscover, preserve, and honor our community’s Revolutionary roots. By engaging experts, honoring Indigenous perspectives, and involving local citizens, Ridgefield is setting a new model for public history.
“This project is about uncovering the stories and lived experiences of a community caught in the upheaval of the American Revolution,” said James Segelstein, Chairman of the Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project. “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect this history, and it will take all of us working together with the professional archaeologists to ensure it’s preserved for generations to come.”
How You Can Get Involved
We are reaching out to homeowners whose properties may be part of the battlefield landscape. With your permission, the archaeological team would like to conduct a non-invasive survey using metal detection to identify areas that may hold Revolutionary War-era artifacts. The work is conducted with great care: when excavation is needed, it is minimal and done by hand with meticulous respect for your property. Any artifacts relating to the Revolutionary War that are discovered will be added to the National Park Service collection and preserved locally in the Ridgefield Historical Society’s climate-controlled vault at the Scott House, where they will serve as educational resources for current and future generations.
This project has significant potential for our town. It’s a profoundly meaningful way for our community to come together and preserve our shared past as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of America in 2026 and the Battle in 2027. The success of the project depends on landowners allowing the archaeologists to access properties associated with the Battle. Your participation will make a real difference.
If you own property in Ridgefield and would like it to be considered for study by the archaeology team, please contact: [email protected].
Ridgefield property owners interested in learning more about the project are invited to attend a free public presentation by Dr. David Naumec, Unearthing Answers to the Battle of Ridgefield Mysteries: Using Hi-Tech Archaeology to Reveal Our History, on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 6:30 PM at St. Stephen’s Church North Hall.
Members of the Ridgefield Historical Society will have exclusive opportunities to get involved with the project, meet the archaeologists, and receive updates on their discoveries.
For more information, visit ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org or call 203-438-5821.
