Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding

Memorial Monument, Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding

Redding, in Fairfield County, is located in southwestern Connecticut. Incorporated from Fairfield in 1767, the original name of the town was Reading, after John Read. The name was officially changed in 1844 by the United States Postal Service. During the Revolutionary War, Redding served as the winter encampment for the Continental army. General Israel Putnam, along with three Continental brigades, held a strategic position there during the winter of 1778-1779. The early economy in Redding was based on extensive quarrying of its rich mineral deposits and the Georgetown section’s production of wire screen. The last home of Mark Twain, Stormfield, was built in Redding.

More on Redding from the CT Digital Archive

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Video – Mark Twain at Stormfield

This rare footage is thought to be the only film of famed author Samuel Clemens.  …[more]

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Places

Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Collis P. Huntington State Park,” 2016. Link.
“Mark Twain Library,” 2017. Link.
“Putnam Memorial State Park,” 2016. Link.
“Redding Historical Society,” 2016. Link.

Documents

Google News Archive. “Digitized Historic Newspapers - Various Dates - The Redding Pilot,” 2016. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Redding - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2016. Link.
“Redding Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.

Books

Fairfield Historical Society, and Thomas Farnham. Fairfield: The Biography of a Community, 1639-1989. West Kennebunk,  ME: Fairfield Historical Society, 1988.
Hurd, D. Hamilton, ed. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company, 1881. Link.
Cruson, Daniel. Putnam’s Revolutionary War Winter Encampment: The History and Archaeology of Putnam Memorial State Park. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2011.
Cruson, Daniel. Redding and Easton. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2000.
Todd, Charles. The History of Redding, Connecticut From Its First Settlement to the Present Time. New York, NY: Grafton Press, 1906. Link.