Artist J. Alden Weir's farm, Ridgefield

Artist J. Alden Weir’s farm, Ridgefield
– Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Carol M. Highsmith Archive

The town of Ridgefield, located in Fairfield County, is in the southwestern portion of Connecticut and borders the state of New York to its west. Founded in 1708 by colonists from Norwalk and Milford, and then incorporated a year later, the town was mainly a farming community until wealthy New Yorkers discovered it and built summer cottages within its borders. A battle site during the Revolutionary War, a British cannonball can still be seen in a corner post of Keeler’s Tavern. Today, Ridgefield is home to Weir Farm National Historic Site, which straddles the Ridgefield-Wilton border. It is the only National Park in Connecticut.

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Fight at Ridgefield

Battle at Ridgefield – Today in History: April 27

On April 27, 1777, American forces under the command of Major General David Wooster attacked the retreating British troops under Major General William Tryon in Ridgefield. …[more]

Learn More

Websites

Keeler Tavern Museum. “Battle of Ridgefield,” 2016. Link.

Places

Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Bennett’s Pond State Park,” 2016. Link.
“Keeler Tavern Museum,” 2016. Link.
“Ridgefield Historical Society,” 2016. Link.
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Seth Low Pierrepont State Park Reserve,” 2016. Link.
“The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum,” 2016. Link.
U.S. National Park Service. “Weir Farm National Historic Site,” 2016. Link.

Documents

“Broadside - Stage Coach Schedule: States Schedule for Stagecoach Line Between Ridgebury, Ridgefield, Wilton, and Norwalk, Conn., with Connections for Steamboat to New York City.” D. Hunt, 1845. Connecticut History Illustrated, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Google News Archive. “Digitized Historic Newspaper - Ridgefield Press,” 2016. Link.
“Map - Town of Ridgefield, Fairfield Co. Conn. (Petersen Collection).” ca 1850. University of Connecticut Libraries - Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
“Ridgefield Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.

Books

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.
Ridgefield Archives Committee. Ridgefield. Portsmouth,  NH: Arcadia, 2004.
Ridgefield Archives Committee. Ridgefield. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 1999.
Sanders, Jack. Ridgefield, 1900-1950. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia, 2003.
Teller, Daniel. The History of Ridgefield, Conn: From Its First Settlement to the Present Time. Danbury,  CT: T. Donovan, 1878. Link.
Rockwell, George. The History of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Ridgefield,  CT: George Rockwell, 1927.