Revolutionary War Hero Gets His Day In Simsbury

SIMSBURY, CT — Saturday, May 10, is the day before Mother's Day for most of us.

But if you happen to live in Simsbury, it's a special day of sorts from a more historical perspective.

That's because Saturday, May 10, is Noah Phelps Day, as deemed by the Simsbury Board of Selectmen at their last meeting on April 21 via a special proclamation.

May 10 is the day Phelps and other colonial troops took over a key fort — Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York — at the start of the American Revolution in 1775, 250 years ago.

With America about to celebrate its 250th birthday next year, there's a national push to recognize lesser-known figures of the American Revolution.

And Phelps fits the bill.

Though he is probably well-known in Simsbury historical circles, he's not a national figure along the lines of George Washington, Nathan Hale, or Nathanael Greene.

One thing is certain, Phelps loved his country and his beloved hometown of Simsbury, the town he was born in back in 1740 and the town he died in back on March 4, 1809, when he was 69.

When the seeds of revolution were being planted in the early 1770s, Phelps served in the 1st Regiment Connecticut Militia, becoming a lieutenant in 1771 and then, captain in 1774.

According to the proclamation, Phelps in April 1775 assembled with others in Hartford to embark on a mission to aid the Americans who battled the British at Lexington and Concord, essentially lighting the fuse of the American Revolution.

Phelps ended up on the mission to Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York, a fight that ended successfully with colonists taking over the British fort without a single loss of life in May 1775.

It was a key, early battle in the Revolution, and it represented the first major victory for the Americans.

When Phelps returned home to Simsbury, he was a key figure in town, chairing Simsbury town meetings that approved the Articles of Confederation in the 1780s, just prior to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

According to the resolution, Phelps' other roles were tavernkeeper (he founded Phelps Tavern in 1786); major general of the Connecticut Militia; postmaster; Hartford County justice of the peace; judge of probate; and land surveyor.

But it was his role during the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga that endeared Phelps to the hearts of the cause, as well as those in Simsbury.

Jane McAlpine, executive director of Simsbury Historical Society, thanked selectmen for honoring Phelps and his legacy.

"Thank you, everyone, for considering the proclamation that is before you this evening," McAlpine said. "The State of Connecticut has already made a proclamation which is similar."

She said, in addition to Phelps, many in Simsbury supported the revolutionary cause.

"It's very fitting this time, too, April 21. It was just yesterday, April 20, in history, that word of the conflict at Lexington and Concord made it to Hartford, and word spread throughout this area shortly thereafter," McAlpine said. "And so our local residents immediately responded to the aid of our neighbors in Massachusetts."

Bob Moody, past president of the Simsbury Historical Society and chairman of the 250th Celebration Committee, also spoke, decked out in costume portraying Phelps at the selectmen meeting.

He discussed the committee's efforts to organize Simsbury events for the 250th, providing a few smiles amid his revolutionary garb.

When it came time to approve the Phelps proclamation, selectmen took turns reading portions of the proclamation before unanimously approving it.

For more information on Noah Phelps, click on this link and this link.

For the minutes of the April 21 Simsbury Board of Selectmen meeting, which includes the full proclamation for Phelps, click on this link.