By Natalie Accardi, SCSU Journalism student
A British cannonball fired during the Revolutionary War can still be seen in the wall of the Keeler Tavern Museum and History Center.
Executive Director Hildegard Grob said the cannonball, which hit the cornerpost of the tavern during the 1777 Battle of Ridgefield, is a reminder of Ridgefield’s connection to the Revolutionary War.
“We have a cannonball still embedded, which dates back to the Battle of Ridgefield. That’s, by the way, how the American side called it. The British side talked about it as a skirmish,” Grob said. “They didn’t think it was warranted the term battle. So that’s part of teaching history: Who gets to write history?”
The museum is one stop on the Connecticut Revolutionary War Trail, a project of the Connecticut Veterans Coalition for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. See the full trail here.
John Bradley, interpretation coordinator of the museum, said the cannon was fired at the tavern because the British believed ammunition for the patriots was being made in the basement. The museum also possesses the original sign of the tavern, which was made in 1772, and an etching of the Battle of Ridgefield created in 1780, according to the museum’s Chief Curator Catherine Prescott.
The museum staff collaborate with numerous organizations in town, such as the Ridgefield Historical Society and the Ridgefield Library, to provide events that inform state residents about their history. Grob said the goal of the museum is to provide an understanding of history from different perspectives.
“Everything we do here, all our school programs, are driven by three premises or objectives,” Grob said, “which are creating curiosity, encouraging critical thinking in order to have empathy and understanding for the world around you.”
Grob said it’s important for people to understand that history is nuanced.
“All our tours and everything we do here is based on the fact, or the premise, that history is complicated and complex, just like we human beings,” she said. “People need to understand that there are different narratives, different story lines.”
Natalie Accardi, a journalism student at Southern Connecticut State University, reported this story in 2025 as part of Journalism Capstone coursework on the Revolutionary War.