Second generation Town Historian Ben Cruson will present “Newtown in the American Revolution” in the meeting room of C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, on Thursday, July 9. The 45 minute presentation will begin at 6:30 pm.

The program is part of a series of historical programming the library has arranged this year to celebrate the Semiquincentennial.

Cruson was officially appointed town historian in February 2023, just about two years to the day of the death of his father. The late Dan Cruson was the town’s first formally appointed town historian.

The current town historian aims to honor the work and legacy of his father, while evolving the role through a focus on educating. With his father leaving very few stones unturned, Cruson takes pride in being the one to share the history his father so thoroughly researched.

“I'm looking at it as more of an educational role,” said Cruson. “He recorded a lot of these stories; now I want to try to share them with people, so they know the amazing things that happened in this town.”

Cruson’s presentation will delve into Newtown's role in fueling the heated social and political atmosphere at the time of the revolution. He will introduce his audience to the tense split between the loyalists and the patriots, prompting captivating stories of raids and treason.

“One other thing that I obviously have to talk about is Rochambeau and the French troops coming into town. That was easily the most exciting thing that happened in town during the revolution,” said Cruson.

Cruson’s “Newtown in the American Revolution” presentation will offer the chance to see history through Newtown's local lens.

“You're talking about places that they're familiar with, that they see every day, that they probably didn't even think had any kind of history to them,” Cruson said. “You're bringing those stories alive to them; it makes it much more tangible.”

Registration is requested and available through chboothlibrary.org.

Emily Braun is a journalism major at Fordham University with The Newtown Bee this summer. She can be contacted through editor@thebee.com.