ConnTours Highlight History and Culture: Ridgefield’s Among First Tours to Go Live

A painting of the Stebbins House, once a Battle of Ridgefield field hospital, now long gone from Ridgefield's Main Street. Its site is the beginning of the new ConnTours "Revolutionary War" walking tour in Ridgefield.

When Connecticut Humanities began planning the launch of a new free mobile app that would guide people to historic and cultural sites in the state, the organization partnered with the Ridgefield Historical Society to be the first participant in its town/city-based tours. The town is known for its wealth of historic sites and Connecticut Humanities recognizes and supports the efforts the Ridgefield Historical Society is making to preserve and protect the materials that bring history to life.

Working this summer with development consultant Kathryn Tufano, three interns, Amy Hellrigel, Jake Seem and Savannah Kiss, created a pair of walking tours that highlight Ridgefield history: “Revolutionary War” and “The Butcher, Baker & Candlestick Maker.” Still to come is “Main Street Architecture.” In addition to researching and writing the posts for each site on the tours, the interns walked them to ensure that the streetscape views coordinated with the history they were presenting.

Ideal for guiding guests to some of Ridgefield’s historic locations, the two tours are each planned to take about 45 minutes to complete. Parking is available at the Historical Society, 4 Sunset Lane, or at one of the municipal lots off Main Street. 

The Revolutionary War tour begins: “The events that occurred around Ridgefield in April 1777 constituted the only inland invasion of Connecticut during the Revolution. This tour follows the retreat of the British to the coast, showcases the sites where history was made, and introduces the critical players who galvanized Patriot forces against the crown.” Walkers start the route at the David Scott House, Ridgefield Historical Society headquarters, at 4 Sunset Lane, one of the 10 locations highlighted. 

“The Butcher, Baker & Candlestick Maker” answers the question: “What businesses comprised a town years ago?” It begins with the site of the Stebbins Homestead, now the Casagmo complex, on Main Street, where Benjamin Stebbins, one of the earliest settlers, operated his tannery. (During the Battle of Ridgefield, the Stebbins house served as a field hospital.) Other stops on and near Main Street include the site of the Richard W. Osborn home; the former location of the trading post known as “Tuppence” (now a private home on the south end of Main Street); the Gage Block (later the D.F. Bedient block); the Ridgefield Town Hall, which housed the Ridgefield Savings Bank for a number of years; the Sholes and Smith Shirt Factory (famous for its “Ridgefield Shirt”); the Benjamin Burt blacksmith shop; Whitlock’s Livery (later Sperry Livery); the Rockwell Candlestick Factory; Hiram K. Scott’s drug store (later Bissell’s); the S.S. Hurlbutt Meat Market; the King & Dole Store (now part of the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art); and The Big Shop (once at West Lane and Main Street, now off Bailey Avenue).

At each stop on these tours, the ConnTours app includes images from the Society’s extensive archives and pertinent information that is written to give tour participants a deeper understanding of the town’s history and the people who have been prominent in its growth.

The ConnTours app is available for Apple and Android users; for additional details, visit ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org or call 203-438-5821.