Connecticut Radio Information System

Focusing on the unacknowledged individuals of color and of women at the Redding Revolutionary War Winter Encampment.

Redding Revolutionary War Winter Encampment

The Redding Revolutionary War Winter Encampment at Putnam Memorial State Park housed 3,000 Revolutionary War soldiers in 1778 and 1779. It is designated as Connecticut’s first State Archaeological Preserve due to its importance, having played an indispensable strategic role for the Continental Army that protected the Hudson River Valley and Long Island Sound. Emeritus state archaeologist Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni characterized the Redding encampment as among the most important undisturbed Revolutionary War sites in the country, as construction and development pressures have significantly impacted other Revolutionary War encampment sites in the U.S., making the relatively undisturbed 53-acre Redding site so rare.

CRIS Solution

CRIS was awarded a National Park Service (NPS) grant to create an accessible smartphone audio tour of the Redding Revolutionary War winter encampment and to research the contributions of African Americans, women, and indigenous people at the Redding encampment that have generally gone unacknowledged. The research for the NPS project, called the Forgotten Voices of the Revolutionary War, was conducted by a collaborative team of historians, archivists, archaeologists, anthropologists, and Central Connecticut State University master’s students to research shed light. The research will be shared online.

One major challenge in creating a smartphone audio tour at the Redding Revolutionary War encampment was the site’s limited cell phone service and Wi-Fi availability. CRIS Radio’s IT partner, IDEAL Group, resolved the challenge by developing a CRISAccess Tours smartphone mobile app that can trigger an audio tour with or without Wi-Fi or cell phone service.

CRIS is grateful to the National Park Service for its grant that has enabled us to expand access to information at the historic Redding Revolutionary War Winter Encampment site.

In conjunction with this grant, students enrolled in a master's level class at Central Connecticut State University conducted research about the unacknowledged roles of women and people of color.