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Putnam Memorial State Park
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Statue of General Israel Putnam at the entrance to Putnam Memorial State Park
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| Location: | Jct. of Rtes. 58 (Black Rock Tpke.) and 107 (Park Rd.), Redding, Connecticut |
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| Area: | 183 acres (74 ha) |
| Built: | 1778 |
| Governing body: | State |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000683[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 29, 1970 |
Putnam Memorial State Park is named for Major General Israel Putnam who chose the site as the winter encampment for his men during the winter of 1778/1779. The former American Revolutionary War encampment and park is located at the intersection of Route 107 and Route 58 in Redding, Connecticut, in the United States of America. The park also has many natural wonders including a cave and many large erratics.
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The park contains a visitors center and a museum both with artifacts found at the park and donated items. The exhibits demonstrate colonial life and honor the men who were stationed there. There are numerous firebacks, which are the remains of the enlisted soldiers chimneys, as well as reconstructed replicas of the guard house and an officers quarters. There is a 40-foot-tall (12 m) monument commemorating the commanding officers and men who were stationed there. The park was established in 1887 by Redding resident Charles Burr Todd.
In 1969 at age 93, the sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington donated the equestrian statue of General Israel Putnam which is situated at the entrance to the park. It depicts the horse going down steps. The legend states in February 1779, General Putnam escaped a cohort of British Dragoons riding his horse down 100 stone steps at Horses Neck, Greenwich, Connecticut. Collis P. Huntington State Park nearby in Bethel, Newtown & Redding is named for the father of the husband of Anna Hyatt Huntington.
There were over 3000 men sent into winter quarters spread throughout 3 camps in Redding. These camps were established to keep an eye on the storehouses in Danbury, CT and to protect the Long Island Sound and the Hudson River Valley. Many of these men were the same who had suffered at Valley Forge the previous winter. The 2nd Canadian Regiment, or Congress' own, under the command of Moses Hazen and the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment under the command of Enoch Poor were stationed at the current park.
The park hosts an annual reenactment in late October and a guided winter walk in December as well as weekend events in late July and early August. Please check the website Friends of Putnam Park for further information.
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