The Ridgefield Historical Society has received a $50,150 grant from the National Park Service: American Battlefield Protection Program.  The funding will be used for a two-year project to develop a deeper understanding of the 1777 Battle of Ridgefield and its place in the history of the American Revolution.  The Historical Society applied for the grant after the discovery of four sets of skeletal remains under a home near the battle site.

Historical Society President Sara Champion says they are thrilled that the National Park Service has recognized their efforts to preserve the history of the Battle of Ridgefield and are anxious to know as much as possible about the remains.

The details of the battle itself have been documented, but additional research could yield new information.

Among the questions that historians hope to answer are: Were the skeletons those of Patriots or Loyalists or British troops? How did the noncombatant residents of Ridgefield interact with the soldiers? What specifically did the British and Loyalist soldiers learn from the Ridgefield encounters? Who buried casualties from the Battle? Where are the other soldiers that died in the Battle buried?

Emeritus State Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni, who was in charge of the recovery of the skeletons, believes there is a great deal yet to be learned about the Battle, both from continuing studies of the skeletons and associated materials, as well as from the work supported by the Battlefield grant.

Much of the battleground, including sites of skirmishes as well as the location south of the village occupied by the British overnight following the battle, has been largely privately owned and developed to varying degrees over the centuries. There are also considerable municipal holdings in the center of town that are part of the site.

A Battlefield Advisory Group is being formed to guide the project and hire a qualified consultant to do the detailed research at local, state and national levels and to inventory previously collected artifacts attributed to the Battle. All of the documentation will be indexed, annotated and provided to the Historical Society. The consultant will prepare a final report that describes the methods undertaken, a summary history of the Battle, preliminary assessment of the battlefield boundaries, and professional recommendations for additional research or archaeological surveys.

The Historical Society will work with the consultant to share information with property owners about their land and its significant role in the history of the United States.

At least four public meetings will be scheduled to share progress and discoveries and there will be monthly research updates on the Historical Society’s website. In addition, the Ridgefield Historical Society and the State Historic Preservation Office will sponsor two planning charrettes about battlefield preservation with the goal of creating policies for areas under the highest risk of development.