Built around 1713, the tavern has stood through some of Ridgefield's earliest history and played a significant role during the American Revolution. On April 27, 1777, the Battle of Ridgefield came down Main Street, and a cannonball became lodged in the side of the building during the British attack. That cannonball remains one of the site's most powerful reminders of its place in Revolutionary War history.
"This building that we're in right now has some of our site's oldest history," said Katie Burton, Director of Education at the Keeler Tavern Museum. "There's this tradition of being a community gathering space, and our museum takes that seriously."
Each year, the museum continues that tradition with a public July 4th celebration, centered around a reading of the Declaration of Independence. This year's event carries added meaning as the country prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of its founding.
Avi Kimmel, who lives near the museum and has long been fascinated by colonial history, has become part of that annual tradition. Dressed in period attire as a town crier, Kimmel reads the Declaration aloud from a scroll in front of the historic tavern.
"It's an honor to do so, especially on the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country," Kimmel said.
For Kimmel, the setting makes the words even more powerful.
"How can you not appreciate and love history when you live where so much colonial history is all around us, especially in this Tri-State area?" he said. "We're constantly visiting the Keeler Tavern. It's a magical place."
The annual reading gives visitors a chance to hear the words of the Declaration in the context of the place and history that surrounded America's fight for independence.
"To hear the big ideas that it has, to hear the list of grievances and complaints against King George, and to hear this powerful moment when we become the United States for the first time ever - it happens in that document," the museum representative said.
Kimmel said the Declaration's message remains as meaningful today as it was nearly 250 years ago.
"The Declaration of Independence was radical in its day, and it's still radical," Kimmel said. "It provides the promise of individual liberty, the right to self-governance, and equality."
As the nation counts down to its 250th anniversary, Keeler Tavern Museum continues to serve as both a historic landmark and a community gathering place - reminding visitors that the story of America's founding is still being read, remembered, and reflected on today.
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