1:00 pm Reenactment of the Tory Raid on the Middlesex Meetinghouse and the Arrest of Moses Mather – in front of our church
2:30 pm Reenactment of the British Raid on the Mather Homestead – 19 Steven Mather Road
Free and open to the public.
You’ll see how during Sunday worship on July 22, 1781, Tories from Rev. Mather’s own congregation and British militia arrested the Rev. Dr. Moses Mather and 47 members of the congregation for treason against King George III. The Loyalists took Rev. Mather and the men across the Sound to a British jail on Long Island. This is arguably one of the most important days in the history of our church and our town. Members of our congregation will be participating.
At 2:30 pm, the adventure continues at the Mather Homestead on Steven Mather Road. There, British militia raided Deacon Joseph Mather’s home to steal silver and other valuables which townspeople had hidden at the homestead. The Connecticut 5th Regiment will join members of our congregation in recreating the action.
These performances are part of the Heritage Day activities, and the celebration of our town’s Bicentennial (a year late). Rev. Denise Terry and David Miller have been working with the Heritage Day committee and the Museum of Darien to help get this event produced.
Paintings depicting the raid are on the walls at Town Hall. We also have a marble plaque to the left of our church’s front doors commemorating the raid.
Read Wyn Lydecker’s blog post about taking part in this historic event here: Darien History Comes Alive!
