Ye Old Burying Yard: Ridgefield Cemeteries and Burial Customs with Historian Daniel Cruson on Wednesday, April 25 beginning at 7 PM at Ridgefield Library
Please register
Please join us to learn more about local burying grounds and customs. This evening lecture will be led by Daniel Cruson, an expert on early life in Colonial Connecticut, who will be discussing the evolution of local grave markers from the 1600s through the 1800s. Cruson will highlight select headstones from the Mapleshade complex that are hand-carved, fascinating, and rife with symbolism. The Mapleshade complex has five cemeteries within the grounds; two are private and the other three are town-owned and -maintained. The earliest grave markers date to the town's beginnings.
Daniel Cruson is a retired Joel Barlow High School teacher with a strong interest in Colonial Connecticut. He is a past president of the Newtown Historical Society, a past president of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut; and is the town historian for Newtown. He is the author of several books, including The Pre-History of Fairfield County and Putnam's Revolutionary War Encampment: The History and Archaeology of Putnam Memorial State Park.
This evening program is sponsored by the Ridgefield Graveyard Restoration Committee, the Ridgefield Historical Society, Keeler Tavern Museum and History Center, and the Ridgefield Library.
For more information, contact Ridgefield Graveyard Restoration Committee member Hannah Barber at 203-244-8408.
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