2026 Spring Speaker Series | Remember Liss: A New American Founding Figure

Historian & author Claire Bellerjeau will discuss the extraordinary life and times of an enslaved Black woman from New York named Elizabeth, or Liss. Living in Oyster Bay, NY during the time of America’s founding, Liss was enslaved by the Townsend family, whose son Robert became George Washington’s lead spy in Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. Liss’s escape with the British, re-enslavement, and complex struggle for freedom together give new insight into the country’s founding era through the eyes of an enslaved Black woman seeking liberty in a country fighting for its own.

About the Speaker

Claire Bellerjeau is a historian and the co-author of “Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth”, published in May 2021. In 2022, she co-founded a nonprofit organization called Remember Liss, with the mission of educating the community about Liss’ extraordinary life and times. Through the nonprofit, she co-wrote and published a student version of Liss’ story, titled Remember Liss, in March 2023. She has been researching the Townsend family and those they enslaved for over 20 years and works with teachers to develop curriculums to share Liss’ story, using primary documents from her research.

About the 2026 Spring Speaker Series – Perspectives on Revolution

As the United States marks 250 years, join the Fairfield Museum for a special series that rediscovers the American Revolution through bold new perspectives. The series explores the era not as a single, unified story—but as a complex, contested, and transformative moment seen through many eyes. Renowned historians and authors will share new discoveries and spark conversation about how the Revolution continues to shape American identity, ideals, and contradictions today.

Additional Lectures in the Series:

March 1 | The Loyalist Legacy | MaryKate Smolenski

April 26 | Battle of Ridgefield: Benedict Arnold, the Patriot Militia and the Surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut | Keith Marshall Jones III

Registration is required. $15 for Members; $20 for Non-Members; $45 for the series for Members; $55 for Non-Members.

Ticketing Policy

• No refunds will be given unless the program is cancelled by the Fairfield Museum.
• We do not pro-rate fees for missed days of the series.