America's 250th: Historic Places to Visit in Fairfield & Westchester Counties
- David Saunders
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Putnam Memorial State Park
2026 marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, and this stretch of Connecticut and New York was right in the middle of it all. From battle sites to the homes of the people who shaped a new country, here's where to go to feel that history up close, plus a few ways to catch the anniversary itself being celebrated right now.
Where the Revolution Reached Us
In Ridgefield, the Keeler Tavern Museum still bears a British cannonball from the 1777 Battle of Ridgefield, the only inland Revolutionary War engagement fought in Connecticut. Nearby in Redding, Putnam Memorial State Park, often called "Connecticut's Valley Forge," marks the winter encampment of General Israel Putnam's troops in 1778 to 1779. Down along the coast, Fairfield, Norwalk, and Westport were all raided and burned by the British in 1779, a history the Fairfield Museum and History Center and Westport Museum for History & Culture are actively commemorating this year. In Westchester County, NY, the Jacob Purdy House in White Plains served as Washington's base during the Battle of White Plains in 1776.
Local Historical Societies Keeping the 250th Alive
Several of our own town historical societies have been especially active this anniversary year. The Ridgefield Historical Society, based at the 1714 David Scott House and 1756 Peter Parley Schoolhouse, partners with Keeler Tavern each spring on living history walking tours retracing the Battle of Ridgefield. In North Salem, NY, the North Salem Historical Society runs the White Elephant Museum and has spent the anniversary year on its "Revolutionary North Salem 250" project, uncovering more than 100 local Patriot soldiers previously unknown to history, with public talks, a Strawberry Festival, and North Salem's own town-wide "Celebrate 1776" event each summer.
South Salem doesn't have a standalone historical society, but its history runs just as deep: the South Salem Presbyterian Church Cemetery holds the graves of Revolutionary War veterans dating to the 1700s, and The Horse and Hound Inn, a working restaurant today, has operated out of a 1749 stagecoach stop since before the war began.
Homes of the Founders
Founding Father John Jay has two Westchester homes open to visitors: the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site in Katonah, his retirement estate, and the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, his family's earlier home overlooking Long Island Sound. Closer to home, the Northrop House Museum in New Milford tells the story of Roger Sherman, one of Connecticut's own key figures in the Revolution.
Forts Worth a Special Trip
If forts are your thing, a couple are worth going further for. West Point, about an hour away on the Hudson, was one of the most strategically important fortresses of the entire war, the site of the massive iron chain stretched across the river to block British ships, and today it's home to the U.S. Military Academy and a visitor center open to the public. Further afield, Fort Ticonderoga, roughly four hours north near Lake George, is the real thing for anyone chasing Revolutionary War history seriously, and it connects directly back to us: the cannons Henry Knox hauled from Ticonderoga to Boston in the winter of 1775 traveled straight through this stretch of the Hudson Valley.
Museums Worth a Look
The Danbury Museum & Historical Society is screening Yale's "America at 250" lecture series through the end of the year, and the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk has a "Revolutionary Roots" exhibition running through the fall. If you're bringing kids, the Westport Museum's "Real Revolution" escape room is open daily through late August.
Two hundred fifty years later, this history is still right in our backyard, and this year is one of the best times to go see it for yourself.
America's 250th: Historic Places to Visit in Fairfield & Westchester Counties
America's 250th: Historic Places to Visit in Fairfield & Westchester Counties
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