West Hartford Moves To Preserve Town's Revolutionary History
WEST HARTFORD, CT — With the United States about to celebrate its 250th birthday in less than two years, West Hartford is taking steps to preserve its role in that ultimate struggle.
It is a role many admit to not being aware of, something local officials want to change.
On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the West Hartford Town Council voted unanimously, 9-0, to authorize West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith to participate in a grant program to preserve and promote a Revolutionary War campsite in town.
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The site, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986, is located just north of Albany Avenue and west of Mountain Road on land near/on Metropolitan District Commission property surrounding the area’s public water supply.
Back in 1778, two years after the Declaration of Independence, the site was where an encampment of the Continental Army stayed awaiting orders to battle the British Redcoats.
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The council commissioned Ledwith with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s State Historic Preservation Office.
That office administers the State Historic Preservation Office Survey and Planning Grant Program.
West Hartford is hoping to secure funding to hire professional consultants to “complete an archeological reconnaissance survey report,” which would include “a documentary search, mapping, and location boundary delineation of the campsite.”
The goal is to create a history-based site where visitors can see where the encampment was and learn about what happened there in 1778.
Council members authorized Ledwith to submit any or all necessary documents to get the grant funding.
Ledwith briefed the council on the historical significance of the site.
“It was the site of a 1778 encampment of Continental Army soldiers during the American Revolutionary War and a hospital camp for a short time after,” said Ledwith Tuesday.
He said there are three public and two private owners of the property encompassing the campsite, including the MDC, the State of Connecticut, and the Town of West Hartford.
“If the project receives funding, property owners will be invited to an informational meeting about the project and to get their permission to be on-site,” Ledwith said.
According to Ledwith, the campsite, as early as 1775, was where the West Hartford militia stayed.
Then three years later, he said, 800 Continental Army soldiers, led by Gen. Israel Putnam, stopped there briefly en route to a Danbury encampment and future orders to battle the British.
Ledwith said the soldiers left no permanent buildings, but in 1974, archeologists found 200 scattered stone fireplaces there, indicating the soldier’s presence, along with some artifacts.
The matter was discussed by the council’s finance and administration committee and the grant would be for no more than $20,000.
Council member Debra Polun, who is vice chairman of the committee, said she was surprised to learn West Hartford played such a role in the American Revolution.
“I will say, this was the first I have heard that we had a Revolutionary War camp in town, so this is really cool,” Polun said.
She added if the funding is granted and the site studied/preserved, the next step would be for the council to iron out how to set up the historical site to educate visitors.
For the minutes of the Dec. 11 West Hartford Town Council meeting, click on this link.
For the approved resolution regarding the Revolutionary War Campsite, click on this link.
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For more information on West Hartford’s historic sites, click on this link.
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