Branford in South Central Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Charity Norton Leete
America 250 | Connecticut
In 1781, British forces raided Guilford. Charity Norton Leete stuffed her family's precious possessions in this box and ran.
On June 18, 1781, three ships carried 150 British soldiers landed at Leete's Island, south of Guilford, CT. The British began setting fire to buildings as they advanced toward Guilford. Charity Norton Leete, along with her three children and nearly 40 other women, children, and elderly men, hurried to the woods and hid. Before she fled, Leete filled this box with her family's silver and important papers. She carried it with her as she ran.
The Guilford militia staged a counterattack and the British retreated, but not before two Guilford men, Simeon Leete and Ebenezer Hart, were killed in the battle. British soldiers had attempted to burn Leete's house, but Guilford townspeople put out the fire before it spread. Leete soon returned home with her family and the stash of treasured items she had safeguarded in this box.
Charity Norton Leete's box is in the Henry Whitfield State Museum in Guilford.
Erected by Design Center Studio; CThumanities; UConn Office of the State Historian; Connecticut
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US Revolutionary • Women. In addition, it is included in the America 250 series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 18, 1781.
Location. 41° 17.193′ N, 72° 50.039′ W. Marker is in Branford in South Central Region, Connecticut. It can be reached from Connecticut Turnpike (Interstate 95) west of Cedar Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Branford CT 06405, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley, on the Connecticut Shoreline, and in Greater New Haven. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Haven County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Job Lanthrop
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
