Smith Tavern – A Colonial Meeting Place
Ridgefield, Connecticut
The Smith Tavern stood on the site of the present library. Ebenezer Smith arrived from Milford in 1709 and was assigned Lot # 26. He opened a small tavern in his home. By 1797 a new building was erected on the site by Amos Smith, who ran a tavern and inn, as well as a cider mill behind the tavern and a vineyard on the western side of Main Street. Taverns were used for more than eating and drinking; they were important centers for community activities. In 1900 the Smith Family sold the property to James N. Morris who had a library built in memory of his wife, Elizabeth. It is built in the eclectic Beaux Arts style with art nouveau ironwork on the front doors. A park was created behind the library.
Having a moving-picture theater in Ridgefield was insurance-man Arthur Carnall’s dream. He hired renowned theater designer and architect John Eberson who began his plans in 1938. By 1940 the first movies were being shown in the new air-conditioned theater. The early 1970s brought an end to the theater and the building became a banking center.
Marker is at the intersection of Main Street and Prospect Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
