Welcome to the
Darien Heritage Trail

Did you know that as a coastline town, bitter battles called “Whaleboat Wars” were fought by Patriot mariners protecting Darien against Tory marauders from Long Island during the Revolutionary War? Did you know that Stephen Mather of the Mather Homestead is considered to be the founder of our National Park Service? That his daughter Bertha was one of the first female architects in Connecticut? That over 40 parishioners at First Congregational Church were taken captive by Loyalists during one of the most dramatic events of the Revolutionary War in Connecticut? That the church was a leading voice against slavery in the 19th Century?

You don’t need to be a history buff to appreciate that Darien is a town steeped in history, with fascinating stories and sites that trace back to pre-Revolutionary times. Thanks to a generous gift from the Darien Foundation, the Darien Heritage Trail was launched to tell the stories of this small town on the shore of the Long Island Sound

The Trail will feature a total of eight markers. Six – The Museum of Darien, The First Congregational Church, The Mather Homestead, Tilley Pond, Noroton River Cemetery, and The Battle of the Post Road & Nearwater Farm have been unveiled. The remaining two: History of Downtown and History of Post Road will be unveiled upon completion of the Corbin District. The Trail will take you from The Mater Homestead near the New Canaan town line through downtown Darien to the Noroton River Cemetery.

In its digital home here, the Heritage Trail takes the stories beyond the physical markers found at each site and provides oral histories.

The Darien Heritage Trail sheds light on the town’s past, illuminates the present, and informs our future. Welcome to the Darien Heritage Trail!