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Primary sourceArtifact1713

Keeler Tavern

1713

An 18th-century tavern in Ridgefield, Connecticut, struck by cannon fire during the 1777 battle that Sybil Ludington's ride is said to have helped rally militia for.

The tavern shows physical damage from the 1777 raid Sybil Ludington is said to have ridden to warn militia about.

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A white clapboard colonial-era house with gray shingled roof, multiple dormer windows, two red brick chimneys, and a white picket fence in front. A small sign hangs near the entrance. Tall green trees stand behind, under a blue sky.
Keeler Tavern, Ridgefield, Connecticut, built 1713, damaged during the Battle of Ridgefield in 1777.

About this source

What it is

Keeler Tavern is a colonial-era building in Ridgefield, Connecticut, built in the early 18th century. It served as an inn and was damaged by British cannon fire during the Battle of Ridgefield in 1777; a cannonball remains embedded in a corner post. It is now a museum.

Why it matters

The tavern provides physical evidence of the 1777 Danbury raid and the fighting at Ridgefield, the events Sybil Ludington's famous ride is said to have warned militia about. It connects the Ludington legend to a real, datable military event.

  • How does physical evidence like a cannonball embedded in wood help confirm historical events?
  • Why might a building survive while the stories about it change over time?
  • What questions would you ask to check whether the ride and this battle are actually connected?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sybil Ludington on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Photo of an upright gray granite gravestone in a grassy cemetery with lichen spots. The inscription reads: In Memory of Sibbell Ludington, Wife of Edmond Ogden, Who Died Feb. 26, 1839, aged 77 years 19 months and 21 days. Two small American flags stand at its base. Other headstones, bare trees, and a white house appear behind it.Photograph

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Sybil Ludington Grave

Anthony22

Bronze statue of a rearing horse with a rider in colonial dress raising a stick overhead, photographed from below against a blue sky, with a red brick building behind it and green shrubs in the foreground.Sculpture

Secondary source

Sybil Ludington's Statue

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Secondary source

History of the City of New York: Its Origin, Rise, and Progress (vol. 2)

Martha J. Lamb · 1880

Book

Secondary source

The Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution

Benson J. Lossing · 1850–1852

Dark green book cover with a gold double-line border. Gold serif title reads COLONEL HENRY LUDINGTON, with the subtitle A Memoir in smaller gold script beneath it.Book

Secondary source

Colonel Henry Ludington: A Memoir

Willis Fletcher Johnson · 1907

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