The Ridgefield Train Station
Ridgefield, Connecticut
In 1870, A Branch Line from the Branchville train station was built to offer service to the wealthy New Yorkers who began arriving to spend their summers in Ridgefield. Many of these "summer people" had their own private railroad cars. Chauffeurs would meet them, driving horse and buggies and other fancy conveyances to carry volumes of luggage to their estates located throughout the town.
Benvenuto Carboni arrived in 1901, one of the earliest Italians to come to Ridgefield. Several years later he opened a market on the corner of Prospect and Bailey, catering to the many Italian families who were settling in the area. Around 1915, he sold his store to Nazzareno Gasperini and Ernesto Brunetti. The Brunetti family continued the business on Main Street into the 1980s.
The Italian-American Mutual Aid Society was organized in 1913 by newly arrived Italians so as to become involved with town government and improve civic conditions within their community. By 1915 its objectives included "… voluntary aid to its members in case of misfortune, sickness and distress…" The club has been the scene of many events throughout the years. The Ladies Auxiliary was established in 1934 as an independent organization.
Marker is at the intersection of Prospect Street and Bailey Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Prospect Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
