The state’s environmental agency and parks supporters unveiled Wednesday a new exhibit at Putnam Memorial State Park in southwest Connecticut that commemorates the state’s role in the Revolutionary War.
The permanent display at the park’s visitor center depicts a snapshot of American soldiers encamped at the site during the winter of 1778-1779. The park straddles Bethel and Redding.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees Connecticut’s 107 state parks and Friends and Neighbors (FANs) of Putnam Memorial State Park collaborated on the project, said DEP spokesman Dennis Schain. FANs secured grants to fund the exhibit.
The visitor center also has a museum that displays many of the artifacts found on site during archaeological excavations.
In December of 1778, Connecticut hero Gen. Israel Putnam led 1,400 troops to Redding to spend the winter protecting the state’s coastline and forming a circle around New York City, where British troops were encamped.
American soldiers lived and patrolled the area for five long, cold months before abandoning the site in May 1779. In 1887, local citizens organized the Putnam Park Commission to save the property and to create a park commemorating the soldiers who had wintered there.
It became a state park in 1954.Â
