Town Historian Ben Cruson recently led his first public program since his formal appointment, although he had already been functioning in the honorary role for months prior.

Cruson was the latest guest speaker in “The Newtown Author Reading Series” at the C.H. Booth Library. In the late afternoon program he presented the book The Slaves of Central Fairfield County, authored by his father, Dan Cruson III, who passed away in February 2021.

Ben Cruson was officially appointed town historian in February, just about two years to the day his father died. He is the third person to hold the title, and the second to share the surname Cruson.

Ezra Johnson was the first town historian of Newtown, although his was an informal post. A lifelong resident of Newtown, Johnson was the great-great-great-grandson of one of the witnesses of the deed given by the indigenous people in 1705 to the three men who purchased the land that became Newtown. Dan Cruson referred to his predecessor as “a gifted writer” who was “on the forefront of history” and a keen interest in recording it for others.

Johnson fell into the role of recording as much as possible after writing and then sharing a lecture during the bicentennial of Newtown in 1905. He continued that work until his death in December 1914. Newtown’s History And Historian, completed and published three years after his death by his widow, Johnson’s book was the first published history of Newtown.

Dan Cruson was appointed to the position in 1994 and served in the post until his death in 2021. He was the first person to be an official town historian.

While not a Newtown native, he moved here as an adult and soon became a fixture in the local community. Local history was clearly his passion, and he shared his knowledge through lectures, walking tours, numerous published works, and countless conversations with the editors and reporters of this newspaper.

A Very Busy Man, By Choice

The town historian’s major job, Ben Cruson told The Newtown Bee, is to research and publish local history. Cruson was more than a logical choice for the open post, as he is already very involved with the community and does a lot of work with Newtown Historical Society and local libraries.

He can often be found at events hosted by the local historical society, in fact, providing tours. He also works one day a week at C.H. Booth Library as a curator of artifacts. He can be found either working on the third floor, or overheating in the sweltering attic of the historic Main Street building.

He spends the rest of the week working as a Research Librarian at Beardsley Library in Winsted. There, Cruson runs the local history and genealogy room, where he helps people trace the roots of their heritage. In the future, he would like to work full-time with a library or museum.

Cruson is a very busy man who doesn’t currently have much free time, and that’s the way he likes it. He is clearly dedicated to his love for history, which is literally part of his DNA. His father treated the position like a full-time job and served in the capacity of town historian for over a quarter century.

According to Ben, even Dan thought his youngest son was the best fit to take over. Others agreed.

In a statement about Ben’s appointment as town historian, First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said he thought “it was a wonderful idea and was happy to appoint him to continue the tradition that his father had started.”

Despite the overwhelming amount of support received, Ben confided in an interview with The Newtown Bee that taking over was a bit intimidating. He said the position will be part-time for him, and his father left him with “big shoes to fill.”

Dan Cruson was involved not just in Newtown, but also in neighboring communities. He grew up in Easton, taught in Redding, and, over the years, became very familiar with community history.

“He was able to … take a view of the region at large and apply it to Newtown,” Ben said of his father. Ben is knowledgeable about the history of Newtown but says he is still working on learning about the entire region.

He expressed concerns that his father did such a thorough job of researching local history, there may not be much left for him or others to do.

Of course, this is hyperbole and there is much more to learn. Cruson is currently researching Fairfield Hills with the intent of writing a book.

He also expressed an interest in shifting the focus of his position toward education, saying he wants to teach what his father researched and wrote about.

His Newtown Author Reading Series was his first time giving a speech to an active audience. He admitted to being a bit nervous. In his interview for this story, he joked that he “got some experience speaking in front of classes in school, but, that’s much different because most of that audience doesn’t want to be there.”

The recent presentation at the library was just the beginning of public appearances for the new town historian. There are future events already on the calendar including a presentation next month on Mary Hawley for the 100th reunion of The Hawley Society. That event will bring dozens of Mary Hawley’s extended family members to town for a three-day program of activities centered around the centennial reunion.

He intends to continue teaching through lectures and walking tours of Main Street. He also wants to resurrect the Annual Town Historian Lectures, a popular series curated by his father.

As he describes it, his mission is to “help people gain an appreciation for Newtown’s history.”

Cruson has open office hours at Newtown Municipal Center on Mondays from 2 to 4:30 and is always willing to make other appointments to meet with people. His office is the first door on the left in the hall leading to the tax collector’s and assessor’s offices.

The phone number for the Historian’s office is 203-270-4281 and people can e-mail Cruson at ben.cruson@gmail.com.

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Maia Labbe is a Newtown resident and journalist intern whose work is funded through a grant from the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA).