On March 17th, 60 seventh grade students from John Winthrop School in Bridgeport, CT visited Keeler Tavern Museum (KTM) to learn about the Battle of Ridgefield. The trip was a special experience for the students, many of whom had never travelled outside of Bridgeport.
To prepare the students for their visit, members of KTM’s education staff visited the school to introduce the students to life in colonial Ridgefield and the Keeler Tavern. During the school visit, students were able to see and handle some of the everyday objects used in the colonial tavern, like pewter mugs and plates. Some students also experienced dressing up in colonial clothing.
On their visit to KTM, students rotated through three learning stations. Each learning station reflected the guiding question of the visit, “Who was victorious in the Battle of Ridgefield?” In the Garden House, students examined primary source documents that showed British and American perspectives on the Battle. In the Carriage Barn, students learned about the life of a Revolutionary War soldier from a costumed re-enactor. They also learned about field medicine and herbal remedies for Colonial diseases.
In the museum, the students watched scenes, set on the morning of April 28, 1777, the morning after the Battle of Ridgefield. In each scene, the protagonists, portrayed by volunteer actors, conversed about their experience during the Battle of Ridgefield and their perspectives on the war. The students met six protagonists: British General Tryon and Patriot General Wooster; Benedict Arnold and Sybil Ludington; and Esther Keeler and Timothy's Tory neighbor and uncle, Benjamin Hoyt.
The success of the John Winthrop School's visit was due, in part, to the generosity of KTM's supporters and board of trustees, whose donations helped to cover the cost of busing for the students, to ensure that all the students would have the opportunity to participate in the field trip.
“I am thoroughly humbled and grateful by all of the support and work [KTM has] put into creating a very educational and fun place for my students to learn and share their knowledge, “says Russell. “I plan to continue a yearly ritual of coming to the museum.”
“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with John Winthrop School,” says Sarah Blandford, KTM's Education Director. “And we hope to welcome more schools from Fairfield County and nearby New York to our campus in the coming years to utilize KTM to teach local history with connections to national themes that resonate far beyond Ridgefield.”