Umpawaug Road was a portion of the "great road" from Danbury to Norwalk in the 18th and 19th centuries. While it's primary use was local traffic between Norwalk and Danbury, it also served as the Stage Coach and Postal Route from New York to Boston until those services were transferred to the railroad shortly after 1852.

While impressive, Umpawaug's role in early American transportation and communication is not its most significant historic contribution.

Umpawaug Hill served as the headquaters of General Israel Putnam while his division of Continental Troops encamped at Redding during the winter of 1778-79. A Guardhouse, where a spy and a deserter were held prior to their executions, was also located on Umpawaug Hill.

To imagine Umpawaug Hill buzzing with officers and messengers in the midst of the War of Independence is enough to cause a mixture of exhilaration and amazement, and it certainly exemplifies how unique a location this truly is.
At the heart of rural Connecticut, Umpawaug Hill settled into a quiet stretch of farmland during the late 19th century and the Ryder's were the rugged New Englanders who worked it's fields. Much of the


Frank Ryder on Umpawaug Hill


William Ryder at Umpawaug Schoolhouse

information we have on the Ryder family is focused on or derived from conversations with William Ryder and his many friends. As a result, Ryder Farm's history prior to 1900 is largely unknown. It is known that a fire destroyed the Ryder's original homestead before 1900, taking with it everything they owned. Frank Ryder (William Ryder's father), was forced to sell off portions of his farmland in order to replace their home and belongings. One of these property sales was made to Charles Ives, a successful insurance man and composer, in 1912.

Ives and his wife Harmony, had a house and barn built, and moved in a year later. This was their country home for the rest of their lives. They would come out from New York City in the early spring, and stay until late in the fall. Ives commuted each morning by train from West Redding Station to his insurance office in the city, and he did much of his music writing on this train.

William Ryder worked on the farm with his father from an early age. He left for a spell to attend the Connecticut Agricultural College at Storrs, Connecticut, serve in World War I and further hone his farming skills in Kansas where he harvested wheat and assisted with the large harvesting machinery then in use.

He returned to Redding and spent most of his life running the beautiful farm and nursery at Umpawaug. William's knowledge of wheat and the machinery used to process it came in handy as locals brought wheat cradled in their own fields to Ryder's farm to thrash it. F.W. Grumman recalled: "We took the wheat from Charlie Hill's Farm in Lonetown, loaded it on wagons and brought it over to Bill Ryder's. His father had a thrashing machine. You'd throw the wheat down in this thing and it eats it all up and out comes the oats or wheat on one side and the straw on the other."

Frank Ryder died in 1927, and the following year William and his wife Luemily planted 1,000 Christmas trees (which explains the large number of pine trees on the property). For the next 50 years many locals visited Ryder's Christmas tree lot every December, not only for a tree but also a chance to hear a tale from the "Mayor of Umpawaug" himself.

William Ryder was often called the "Mayor of Umpawaug" and was respected by his friends and neighbors for his blunt honesty. Hjalmar Anderson, summed up William Ryder's personality best when he noted: "Bill Ryder typified the real rugged New Englander who's honest as the day is long. He was ready to help at any time but a little risque and a little bit blunt in the way he expressed himself. Underneath all of that he was certainly the heart of hope, no question about that. As I say, the thing that stands out the most is real, solid four square integrity in every way."

When he wasn't farming he was building. The white barn and outbuildings attest to his industrious nature. The walls inside the buildings carry a pretty good record of dates and important events occurring over many years. In those years he ran a very successful construction business, and many Redding residents live in the fine houses he built. One of his most notable projects was the remodeling of the Colonel Read Manor on Putnam Park Road, a Redding landmark.

William Ryder's passion for farming and building will forever be remembered by those fortunate enough to have known him and the Estates at Ryder Farm on Umpawaug Hill will stand as a testament of his passions for the future generations to come.