Liberty in the Hanging Hills

This lecture explores how a small but strategically situated New England community became intertwined with the broader struggle for American independence. Nestled among the rugged Hanging Hills, Meriden’s landscape shaped both its economy and its role in the Revolutionary War, from supplying goods and manpower to serving as a corridor for communication and movement. The lecture highlights the lives of local patriots, the tensions between loyalists and revolutionaries, and the ways ordinary residents experienced the upheaval of war. By blending regional geography with personal stories, it reveals how the ideals of liberty took root not only in major cities but also in quieter towns whose contributions were vital to the revolutionary cause.