Fairfield Museum Hosts Talk on Revitalization of Town Green

FAIRFIELD, CT -- The public is invited to review and comment on draft plans being developed by the Town to improve public access and enjoyment of Fairfield’s historic Town Green. The public presentation will be held on Thursday, October 8th at 6 PM at the Fairfield Museum, 370 Beach Road, Fairfield.

First laid out in 1639, Fairfield’s 20-acre Town Green is bounded by Old Post, Beach and Penfield Roads and is one of the oldest public spaces in Connecticut. More than 400 years of history can be found on the Green, with its unique collection of historic properties that illustrate key periods of American history.

Sun Tavern, c.1780, was once the social center of colonial Fairfield and hosted visits by Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Burr Mansion, c1790, was a hub of southwestern Connecticut’s Revolutionary politics where Sam Adam, Aaron Burr, John Adams and George Washington met, and where John Hancock married Dorothy Quincy in 1775. Fairfield Academy School, 1804, is one of the earliest extant educational institutions in the state, and Victorian Cottage, 1890, is a rare working class cottage. 

The Green also includes important historic sites like the Old Burying Ground (c.1650), Edwards Pond (the site of Connecticut’s witch trials in 1693), Old Town Hall (1795), and ancient shell middens and tidal marshes once harvested by Native Americans. Other active civic and educational facilities on the Green include Sullivan Independence Hall (1978), St. Paul’s Church (1855), First Church Congregational (1639) and the Fairfield Museum and History Center (2007).

The Town of Fairfield has been awarded a state grant to work with landscape designers at Elmore Design Collaborative of Suffield, CT to develop a plan to enhance the Green’s unique features, improve parking and traffic, and make the Green more accessible and enjoyable for the community. Tom Elmore will be on hand for the October 8^th discussion. The event is FREE to the public.