War Stories: Cornwall in the Revolution

How did a small farming village take part in a revolution? War Stories: Cornwall in the Revolution brings together stories of diverse individuals and the larger events of the Revolutionary War to teach visitors about the personal decisions Cornwall’s people made as they fought for liberty and independence from 1775 to 1783.

As a community, Cornwall itself survived the Revolutionary War to flourish in the new American republic. But just as the people of Cornwall helped make the Revolution, the Revolution left its mark on their lives. Even before the Declaration of Independence, the people of Cornwall were contributing to the war effort, through Ethan Allen’s capture  of Fort Ticonderoga and through the provision of aid to fellow New Englanders during the Siege of Boston. Civilian men, women, and young people worked to supply Washington’s army with cloth and foodstuffs, contributing to Connecticut’s wartime role as the “Provisions State” of the Revolution. Townspeople feared Tory sabotage, and they marched forth to try to defend Danbury against British attack in April 1777. Wartime smallpox took lives in the town. Cornwall’s men and boys fought in the Battles of Brooklyn, Harlem Heights, Fort Washington, White Plains, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Stony Point. They were with Washington during the harsh winters at Valley Forge and Jockey Hollow. Some of them endured the horrors of wartime imprisonment in British hands. And some of them never came home.

Cornwall’s Revolutionary heritage is embodied in the survival of eighteenth-century features in its landscape (historic homes, burial grounds, topographical landmarks, and early clusters of settlement that still shape the town’s cultural landscape); the Society’s rich archival holdings of historic documents and objects; and robust research by several generations of scholars into the town’s past.

War Stories showcases historic documents, objects, works of art, maps, and other materials, most of them from the Cornwall Historical Society’s own collections. These include items relating to Cornwall’s most illustrious native son of the Revolution, Ethan Allen, the conqueror of Fort Ticonderoga with his Green Mountain Boys (and fellow Cornwall townsmen) in 1775.

War Stories is guest curated by historian Dr. Steven H. Jaffe, with assistance from Suzanne Fateh, curator of the Cornwall Historical Society, and Margi Hofer, Museum Director Emerita of The New York Historical Society.

Timed to coincide with the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, War Stories will be the cornerstone of Cornwall’s celebration of our country’s 250th birthday. It will provide an ongoing complement to events expected on Memorial Day, July 4th, and a June encampment on the Town Green. A schedule of events is provided in the link below. War Stories opens Memorial Day weekend and will be free and open to the public through October 2026.

This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of CT Humanities, The Cornwall Foundation, Inc., the Town of Cornwall’s Larry and Judy Gates Fund, Ethan Allen Retail, and through generous donations from the Hofer family and members of the Cornwall community.

Curator’s Talk with Dr. Steven H. Jaffe

Friday, May 22  |  4 p.m.

Join guest curator Dr. Steven H. Jaffe for a preview of the exhibition War Stories: Cornwall in the Revolution. A reception will follow the talk at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. Capacity is limited. Advance registration is required.

Exhibition Opening and Reception                  

Saturday, May 23  | Reception 4–6 p.m.

Join us for the opening of War Stories: Cornwall in the Revolution. Enjoy light refreshments and meet guest curator Dr. Steven H. Jaffe from 4-6 p.m. Open hours are weekends, Saturdays 10-4 and Sundays 1-4 through October 11.