Danbury Museum and Historical Society facts for kids
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| Established | 1947 |
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| Location | 43 Main Street, Danbury, Connecticut, United States |
| Type | Historical society |
The Danbury Museum and Historical Society is a cool place in Danbury, Connecticut. Its main job is to collect, protect, show, and explain the history of the Danbury area. This helps people learn and do research. You can find the main museum at 43 Main Street. It has five old buildings: Huntington Hall, the 1785 Rider House, the 1790 John Dodd Hat Shop, the Little Red Schoolhouse, and the Marian Anderson Studio. The museum also looks after a sixth building, the Charles Ives Birthplace, on Mountainville Avenue.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Danbury Museum and Historical Society began in 1947. It was created when two groups joined together. These groups were the Scott Fanton Museum and the Danbury Historical and Arts Center.
The Scott Fanton Museum
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a Danbury businessman named John Fanton and his wife, Laura Scott, traveled a lot. They visited places in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. They collected many interesting items from each country they saw. After they passed away, a museum opened in their home in 1921. This museum was made to show off all their collections.
The Danbury Historical Society and Arts Center
About 20 years later, in 1941, there was a plan to build a gas station. It was going to be built where the old Rider home stood. This house was built in 1785 and was not in good shape. A group of people from Danbury wanted to save it. They raised money to buy the house. Then, they started the Danbury Historical Society and Arts Center. The Rider house became their meeting place. Their goal was to help people enjoy art, science, history, and music.
Joining Forces
In 1947, someone suggested that the Scott-Fanton Museum and the Danbury Historical Society and Arts Center should combine. The collections from the Scott-Fanton Museum were moved to the Main Street location. That is how the Danbury Museum and Historical Society was formed.
Growing the Museum
In the 1950s and 1960s, the museum added more buildings. They got the John Dodd Hat Shop and the Charles Ives House. They also built Huntington Hall, where many exhibits are now shown. The newest addition is the Marian Anderson Studio. It was fixed up and opened by the museum in 2004.
Buildings at the Museum
The Danbury Museum has several historic buildings. Each one tells a part of Danbury's past.
Huntington Hall
Huntington Hall was built in 1963. This building holds the main offices for the museum. It also has a gift shop where you can find souvenirs. The museum's research library is here too. Many of the museum's displays and exhibits are shown in Huntington Hall.
John Rider House
The historic John Rider House was built in 1785. A Danbury carpenter named John Rider built it with his wife, Mary. John Rider was also a captain in the Connecticut militia during the Revolutionary War. The house stayed in the Rider family until 1925. In 1941, it was saved from being torn down. The Rider House has been restored and you can take tours of it. You just need to make an appointment.
John Dodd Hat Shop
The John Dodd Hat Shop was built in 1790. It was built by a Danbury lawyer named John Dodd. It was first used as a law office, not a hat shop. The museum later turned it into a hat shop exhibit. Inside, you can see many different kinds of hats. There are also machines and materials used to make hats. The shop shows the history of hat making in Danbury. Danbury is even known as Hat City because of this history. The museum got this building in 1957. It was moved from lower Main Street to the museum grounds. You can take tours of the John Dodd Hat Shop by appointment.
Little Red Schoolhouse
The Little Red Schoolhouse is a copy of a typical one-room schoolhouse. These schools were common in the Danbury area from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s. It was built using bricks from the Balmforth Avenue School. That school was taken down in the 1960s. The Little Red Schoolhouse is open for tours. You can visit it by making an appointment.
Marian Anderson Studio
The Marian Anderson Studio belonged to the famous opera singer Marian Anderson. She lived in Danbury for over 50 years. Her studio was on her estate, Marianna Farms, on Joe's Hill Road. The museum got the studio in 1999. It was then moved to the main museum site at 43 Main Street. After a lot of work to fix it up, including a new roof, the studio officially opened in 2004. The museum offers tours of the Marian Anderson Studio by appointment.
See also
- Marian Anderson
- Charles Ives
- Danbury, Connecticut
- List of historical societies in Connecticut
