SGC-CT055-055 · Research edition September 12, 2026
A selected, source-based research collection for New Haven and Fairfield counties. Includes credited photographs where reusable images were located, historical interpretation and links to supporting records. It is a growing inventory, not an exhaustive survey. Photographs retain their individual dates and reuse terms; images do not establish present access conditions.
The story in pictures
Putnam Memorial State Park - Memorial Monument
2010-10-24 13:02:23
1888 Memorial Monument that honors the men of the three different camps in Redding during the winter of 1778-79 in Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding, CT.
Putnam Memorial State Park - Company Street log hut area
2010-10-24
Company Street hut-area stone remains at Putnam Memorial State Park. Stone chimney remains mark the Company Street hut area at Putnam Memorial State Park.
Continental Army troops wintered in Redding in 1778–1779 under Israel Putnam’s command. State Parks describes cold, limited provisions and shortages of clothing and medicine. The site preserves traces of the encampment as well as later interpretation. [CT055-S01]
The 1888 obelisk and reconstructed camp buildings belong to the history of remembrance. The guardhouse was reconstructed in 1890, and the present visitor center began as an 1893 recreation pavilion. Original remains, memorials and reconstructions answer different historical questions. [CT055-S01]
The soldiers' winter of 1778–1779 involved shortages of provisions, clothing and medicine, according to the park's historical account. That experience must be distinguished from the structures later built to explain it. The 1888 obelisk, 1890 reconstructed guardhouse and 1893 pavilion belong to the history of commemoration, more than a century after the encampment. [CT055-S01]
The distinction does not make later memorials unimportant. They reveal what another generation wished to remember and how it chose to teach visitors. Original remains, reconstructions and a building adapted for interpretation carry different kinds of evidence. A photograph of a guardhouse can illustrate a reconstruction, but cannot be presented as a photograph of an original Revolutionary War building. [CT055-S01]
Key dates
1778–1779 — Continental Army winter encampment CT055-S01
Site status: Archaeological preserve and state park
A closer look at the surviving record
Putnam Memorial State Park - Memorial Monument
1888 Memorial Monument that honors the men of the three different camps in Redding during the winter of 1778-79 in Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding, CT. Buildings pictured include reconstructed Revolutionary War structures.
Visitor center at Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding, CT. Reconstructed camp guardhouse on the left. Buildings pictured include reconstructed Revolutionary War structures.
Putnam Memorial State Park - officer's quarters, magazine
Reconstructed Colonial officer's quarters/magazine in Putnam Memorial State Park. Buildings pictured include reconstructed Revolutionary War structures.
Putnam Memorial State Park - Company Street log hut area
Company Street hut-area stone remains at Putnam Memorial State Park. Stone chimney remains mark the Company Street hut area at Putnam Memorial State Park.
Includes source text where acquired. Source websites require an internet connection. OCR may contain errors; verify names and dates against the scan.
6 catalog entries
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CT055-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Connecticut State Parks: Putnam Memorial
Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Surviving camp remains and later memorials tell two connected stories of the American Revolution.
External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.
Credit: Connecticut State Parks. Cite SGC SGC-CT055-055, CT055-S01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
CT055-P01 · Photographs · 2010-10-24 13:02:23
Putnam Memorial State Park - Memorial Monument
1888 Memorial Monument that honors the men of the three different camps in Redding during the winter of 1778-79 in Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding, CT.
Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 4.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. Buildings pictured include reconstructed Revolutionary War structures.
Credit: Jllm06 / CC BY-SA 4.0. Cite SGC SGC-CT055-055, CT055-P01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
CT055-P02 · Photographs · 2010-10-24 13:08:50
Putnam Memorial State Park visitor center
Visitor center at Putnam Memorial State Park, Redding, CT. Reconstructed camp guardhouse on the left.
Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 4.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. Buildings pictured include reconstructed Revolutionary War structures.
Credit: Jllm06 / CC BY-SA 4.0. Cite SGC SGC-CT055-055, CT055-P02, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
CT055-P03 · Photographs · 2010-10-24 13:36:38
Putnam Memorial State Park - officer's quarters, magazine
Reconstructed Colonial officer's quarters/magazine in Putnam Memorial State Park.
Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 4.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. Buildings pictured include reconstructed Revolutionary War structures.
Credit: Jllm06 / CC BY-SA 4.0. Cite SGC SGC-CT055-055, CT055-P03, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
ED-C-image-pass-014 · Photographs · 2010-10-24
Putnam Memorial State Park - Company Street log hut area
Company Street hut-area stone remains at Putnam Memorial State Park. Stone chimney remains mark the Company Street hut area at Putnam Memorial State Park.
Source identifies remains with 1778 huts; interpretation should be corroborated with park archaeology. Modern archaeological landscape; no standing 1778 loghuts shown. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC BY-SA 4.0
Credit: Jllm06 / Wikimedia Commons; creator's original upload or named collection. Cite SGC SGC-CT055-055, ED-C-image-pass-014, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.
ED-C-image-pass-015 · Photographs · 2010-10-24
Putnam Memorial State Park - museum building
Stone museum building at Putnam Memorial State Park. Museum building at Putnam Memorial State Park in Redding.
Exterior photograph; no collection objects pictured. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC BY-SA 4.0
