The Ridgefield Historical Society and The Meetinghouse Presents:
The Underground Railroad in Ridgefield: A hidden piece of Black history, revealed

Ridgefield Town historian Jack Sanders will be joined by Ira Joe Fisher
for a conversation centered around Sanders’ book, Uncle Ned’s Mountain, Three centuries of
African Americans — free and enslaved — in a small New England town. The Black History
Month event is presented by the Ridgefield Historical Society and The Meetinghouse in
Ridgebury and is part of both organizations’ commemoration of the 250th anniversary of
America in 2026.

Several years ago, Mr. Sanders discovered and wrote about the existence of a station on the
Underground Railroad that had been quietly maintained by Ned and Betsy Armstrong, who were
well-known in the Ridgebury community. As free Blacks raising their family in a small compound
off what is now called Ned’s Mountain Road, the Armstrongs risked the harsh penalties of the
Fugitive Slave Acts

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The hour-long program will touch on many other aspects of the lives of
Black Americans in Ridgefield, from the earliest days of the town to present day.
A reception will follow at Shields Hall, across Ridgebury Road from the church; parking is on
that side of the road (some accessible parking is available on Canterbury Lane).

Tickets are limited, nonrefundable, and $20 per person ($15 for members of the Ridgefield Historical
Society and The Meetinghouse) at ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org.

Contact 203-438-5821 or
info@ridgefieldhistoricalsociety.org for more information.