Westport, CT - Westport Historical Society will host a walking tour, June 23 at 3pm, offering history buffs an opportunity to learn about one of the town’s oldest settled areas, some homes of which date to the mid-1700s. Originally, Kings Highway North was part of a postal road laid out between New York and Boston in 1762. Kings Highway North was established as a local historic district in 1972 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It encompasses 106 “contributing buildings” – structures that add to the district’s historical qualities – and four historic sites. The historic sites include a small triangular green at the intersection of Old Hill Road and Kings Highway North that was used as a military drill ground.
Ed Gerber, Past President of WHS, will be accompanied on the tour by Edward Hynes, a specialist on the history of Westport during the American Revolution. Hynes will discuss the planned ambush by Continental troops under Benedict Arnold to fire cannons from the high ground on Old Hill down on British soldiers returning from a raid on Danbury to prevent them from crossing the river on the bridge below. But the British outsmarted the Colonials and crossed upriver near the site of present Ford Road.
In The Footsteps of Patriots. Meet on the green across from the cemeteries at the foot of Old Hill Road; park along Kings Highway North. June 23, 3-4 pm. $10 suggested admission for members, $12 for non-members. No charge for children 12 and under. Reservations are recommended, register online at westporthistory.org or call (203) 222-1424. Join us for a get together after the tour at 323 Restaurant and Bar.