Battle of Ridgefield observance remains virtual amid pandemic

RIDGEFIELD — While past celebrations saw costumed actors reenacting history right on Main Street, the Ridgefield Historical Society’s observance of the 244th anniversary of the Battle of Ridgefield this month will remain virtual amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But a recent discovery in the clay-laden grounds not far from where the battle was fought may drum up more excitement for the anniversary on April 27 than previous years.

Between late 2019 and early 2020, four skeletons believed to be the remains of Revolutionary War soldiers were unearthed near the historic site. The research, however, remains largely on pause since the pandemic closed university laboratories — at Yale, UConn and Quinnipiac — where the bones had been sent.

Historian Ed Hynes, of Norwalk, believes the discovery has created “more interest in the story of the Battle of Ridgefield and understanding what happened exactly,” he said.

Hynes will host a live webinar at 7 p.m. April 29 to discuss the British’s raid on Danbury and the subsequent battle.

“This (event) was really important because it was the only inland battle in Connecticut during the Revolutionary War,” Society volunteer Sally Sanders said. “It was the place where Benedict Arnold was still a hero.”

Tracing the past

New for this year’s anniversary is a self-guided walking tour of the Battle of Ridgefield available on the ConnTours app, sponsored by CT Humanities. The 45-minute tour takes participants to major sites in downtown Ridgefield associated with the event and includes a picture and narrative of each location cited.

Anyone with relevant information or in possession of an item they believe to be from the Revolutionary War is asked to contact the society at bor.grant@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org

To register for Hynes’ webinar, visit ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org