The narratives on the Eccentric Women of Ridgefield were taken from scripts originally written and performed by Dr. Darla Shaw for the Ridgefield Historical Society.  The women included  in these true stories are: 

Sarah Bishop (performed by Sheri Rak) was a hermit who lived in a cave on West Mountain Road during the period following the Revolutionary War.  The trauma that caused Sarah to live in this manner has become legendary, and her story has continued for over 250 years.

Mary Louise Beatrice Olcott (performed by Charlotte Hampden) took over her father’s palatial estate on Main Street, called CASAGMO,  in the early 1900s.  She continually helped the community with her wealth but also surprised them with her antics at the Garden Club, her unique animals, her work as a suffragist, the books she authored, and her work with the town library.  

In the 1940s Jacqueline Seligmann (performed by Benna Strober), a French heiress of great wealth from international art galleries came to live on West Mountain Road and Barrack Hill.  Hers is a sad story of a fall from grace, fame, and fortune to a delusional life with only hundreds of cats by her side.      

In 1898, Carmela Sabilia (performed by Emily Volpintesta), an immigrant from Italy, came to Georgetown and became known as the Peanut Lady of Branchville Road. Carmela became an institution as each Sunday for over twenty years she would sell her peanuts while walking along Branchville Road to make money for her son, Louie, to go to college.