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The Fountain Inn is named for Ridgefield’s Cass Gilbert Fountain which sits directly in front of the inn on a dividing island at the intersection of Main Street and West Lane. Officially, the building is known as the David Hoyt house. In 1740, Hoyt constructed his “city home in the country” on Lot #1, the first registered building site of the original 1708 layout for the village. At the time, it was Ridgefield’s grandest residence.

Hoyt and his home played a small role in the Battle of Ridgefield. After routing the colonial militia on the north end of Main Street, British General Tryon’s troops conducted artillery practice on Keeler Tavern, the headquarters of the local militia. Hoyt, a prominent loyalist, rode out to the British encampment and demanded that they cease fire, as their errant cannonballs threatened his home. In 1790, Hoyt returned to England and abandoned his grand home. Thaddeus Keeler, a prominent patriot, assumed ownership. The house remained in the Keeler family until the early 1900s.