John & Mary Rider House

John & Mary Rider House, built circa 1785, a part of the Danbury Museum and Historical Society

Danbury, in Fairfield County, is located in southwest Connecticut, on the Still River. It was named in 1687, incorporated in 1702, and chartered as a city in 1889. During the Revolutionary War, Danbury was a supply depot for the Continental army. The British, led by Major General William Tryon, raided the town in 1777. Nicknamed Beantown early on for the quality of the beans it grew, Danbury eventually earned the nickname Hat City during the nineteenth century when it became the center of America’s hat production. Today, Danbury makes electronic equipment, machinery, and furniture and is home to Western Connecticut State University.

Featured

Merritt Hat Factory, Danbury

Ending the Danbury Shakes: A Story of Workers’ Rights and Corporate Responsibility

Despite the known dangers of prolonged exposure to mercury, the hat-making industry was slow to safeguard workers against its toxic effects. …[more]

Learn More

“Danbury Railway Museum.” 2012. https://www.danburyrail.org/ (November 12, 2011).
“Danbury Museum & Historical Society.” 2017. https://danburymuseum.org/.
“Danbury Collection.” https://ctdigitalarchive.org/islandora/search/mods_titleInfo_title_mt%253A%2528Danbury%2529%20OR%20mods_subject_geographic_mt%253A%2528Danbury%2529.
“Marian Anderson House.” 2017. Connecticut Freedom Trail. http://www.ctfreedomtrail.org/trail/concept-of-freedom/sites/#!/marian-anderson-house (July 20, 2012).
McCarthy, D. “Map of the Boroughs of Danbury and Bethel, Fairfield County, Conn.” http://hdl.handle.net/11134/40002:15045.
Murphy, Susan, and Gary Smolen. 2005. Candlewood Lake. Charleston, SC: Arcadia.
Hurd, D. Hamilton, ed. 1881. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company. http://www.archive.org/stream/historyoffairfie00hurd#page/n5/mode/2up.
O.H. Bailey & Co. 1875. “View of Danbury, Conn.” http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/3390631702/.
“Tarrywile Park and Mansion.” 2012. http://tarrywile.com/ (November 12, 2011).
Devlin, William. 1984. We Crown Them All: An Illustrated History of Danbury. Woodland Hills,  CA: Windsor Publications.
Danbury Scott-Fanton Museum and Historical Society. 1979. As We Were: A Pictorial Remembrance of Old Danbury. ed. Evelyn Durgy. Danbury,  CT: Danbury Scott-Fanton Museum.
Danbury Museum and Historical Society. 2001. Danbury. Charleston,  SC: Arcadia.
Bailey, James. 1896. History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896 from Notes and Manuscript Left by James Montgomery Bailey. New York: Burr Printing House. http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofdanbury00bail#page/n15/mode/2up.