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ABOUT THE PLACE

About Danbury

Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Factory of THE MALLORY HAT CO, Danbury, Conn, - Est 1823 museumofcthistory.org
Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

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...
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Danbury is known as the "Hat Capital of the World," dating to a time in the late 1800s when the town was manufacturing five million hats a year.
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VINTAGE DANBURY

Danbury Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Factory of
Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Factory of "THE MALLORY HAT CO", Danbury, Conn, - Est 1823
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Main Street looking North
Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Main Street looking North
Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Garfield Monument, 1906
Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Garfield Monument, 1906
Danbury, Connecticut, USA - The National Hat Factory, Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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The National Hat Factory, Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - DANBURY, CONN. Hat Factory with Hose-House on the Hill
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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DANBURY, CONN. Hat Factory with Hose-House on the Hill
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Fair Grounds, Danbury, Conn.
Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Fair Grounds, Danbury, Conn.

"The Danbury Fair was a yearly exhibition in Danbury, Connecticut. It was begun in 1821 as an agricultural fair, but did not have a regular schedule until 1869 when hat manufacturers Rundle and White helped form the Danbury Farmers and Manufacturers Society. From then until its closing, the fair was open for ten days every October.

The fair took up 100 acres (0.4 km²) of what Rundle and White had hoped would be a Danbury Pleasure Park. Admission was 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children. The fair offered everything from tobacco, pears, and home-brewed wines to hats, boots, saddles, carriages, wagons, churns, and stoves. In 1895, more than 1000 people were employed by the fair.

In 1932, a race track was built on the fairgrounds for the midget car and stock car races that had replaced the earlier harness races.

When the fair's owner John Leahy died in 1974, the organization fell into disarray. The last day of the fair was October 12,... Read more
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Von Gal Hat Co., Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Von Gal Hat Co., Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - A Danbury Hat Factory, Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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A Danbury Hat Factory, Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - The Mallory Hat Co., Danbury, Conn.
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The Mallory Hat Co., Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Lumber Camp on Sugar Hollow Road
Danbury, Conn.
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Lumber Camp on Sugar Hollow Road
Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Hotel Green, Danbury, Conn.
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Hotel Green, Danbury, Conn.
Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Main Street, Danbury, Conn.
Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Main Street, Danbury, Conn.
Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Lee Hat Co., Danbury, Conn.
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Lee Hat Co., Danbury, Conn.
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Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Danbury Hospital
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Danbury Hospital
Danbury, Connecticut, USA - Methodist Church and City Hall
Danbury, Connecticut, USA
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Methodist Church and City Hall
GENEALOGY SHOP

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LOCAL HISTORY

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1777 - Danbury, An important military depot for the American Revolutionary armies was burned and looted in April 1777 by the British under Major General William Tryon.
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1819 - Danbury
Danbury, the semi-seat of justice of the county, and a flourishing agricultural and manufacturing post township, is situated in the northwestern section of the county, 58 miles southwest from Hartford, 35 northwest from New-Haven, and about 65 miles northeast from New-York, bounded on the north by New-Fairfield, on the east by Brookfield and Newtown, on the south by Reading, and on the west by Ridgefield. Its mean length is 8 and a half miles, and its mean breadth more than 6 miles; comprising an area of about 53 square miles...
1839 - Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
One of the shire towns of Fairfield county. Danbury, the Pahquioque of the Indians, was first settled in 1684. The soil of the town is good, and agreeably diversified by hills and valleys. The borough, or village, is very pleasantly situated in a valley, and is memorable for its sacrifices in the revolutionary war. It was nearly destroyed by the British, with a large amount of continental stores, April, 1777. It lies 22 miles N. from Norwalk, 36 S.S.W. from Litchfield, and 55 S.W. by W. from Hartford.

Robert Sandeman, the founder of a religious sect, died at Danbury in 1771, aged 53. See Bethel, Ct.
1854 - Danbury
Danbury, a post-town and semi-capital of Fairfield county, Connecticut, on the Dan- bury and Norwalk railroad, 18 miles N. N. W. from Bridgeport. It is a pleasant borough, built principally on one street, more than a mile in length, and contains, besides the county buildings, 8 or 4 churches, 1 bank, 1 savings institution, and a printing office, at which a weekly newspaper is issued. The industry of the inhabitants is chiefly directed to the manufacture of hats. Still river, a branch of the Housatonic, passes through the town, and affords good water- power. Incorporated in 1696. In 1777 it was burned by the British, on which occasion General Wooster, the American commander, was killed. Population of the entire township, 6964.
1859
DANBURY, a township, semi-capital of Fairfield co. in the state of Connecticut, 68 m. SW of Hartford. It is pleasantly diversified, and is intersected by a branch of the Housatonic, which affords good water-power. The soil is generally fertile. Pop. 4,504.
1869 - FRIGHTFUL DISASTER. BREAKING OF DAM AT DANBURY, CONN. - HOUSES AND BRIDGES SWEPT AWAY - TEN OR TWELVE PERSONS DROWNED.
Danbury, Conn., Monday, Feb. 1.

The most terrible disaster that has ever occurred in Danbury happened last night, destroying a number of lives and much property.

About 7 o'clock in the evening the upper Kohanza dam, which supplies the borough with water, gave way, letting down the water with such force as to carry away the lower dam also. The water of the two dams thus let loose formed as irresistable force and carried away all before it. Flint's dam, which was carried away by a flood last Summer, was again destroyed. The upper Main Street bridge was carried away; also the Balmforth Avenue and White Street bridges, while the Patch Street bridge and the one at Lacy, Hott & Co.'s shop are rendered almost impassable. Houses and small buildings were carried down stream and destroyed. Immense cakes of ice, with rocks, trees &c., were carried a great distance. A house in the north end of the town, occupied by the family of MR. A. CLARK, was carried away with the inmates - a man, his...
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1878 - Many funny fancies have come from Danbury, Conn.
At least one funny fact comes from the same town. A Danbury man hired his divorced wife to attend to his present wife's child. - N. Y. Herald.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
September 28, 1878
1880 - Hat-Making was first begun in Danbury, Conn., in 1780, the factory there employing three workmen and turning out three hats a day. There are now employed 1,800 persons, and they make 17,400 hats a day.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
March 6, 1880
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1888 - On the 30th ult. the Tweedy Manufacturing Company's hat factory at Danbury, Conn., the largest in America, shut down for the first time in twenty years.
Eleven hundred employes were thrown out of work.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
May 5, 1888
1890 - FIRE BUGS IN DANBURY. TWO BIG CONFLAGRATIONS STARTED IN ONE NIGHT.
DANBURY, Conn., Dec. 21. - A fire bug got in some effective work here Saturday night and Sunday morning, kindling two extensive fires. The first destroyed the lumber yard of Osborne Brothers at White and Canal Streets and six loaded freight cars on a siding of the Housatonic Road adjoining, and partly destroyed the Housatonic freight house. Osborne Brothers lose $26,000 and the Housatonic Railway Company about $10,000.

The second fire occurred at 2 o'clock this morning and totally destroyed the large box factory of Green & Beebe, a two-story double house with three barns adjoining belonging to George Barnum, the foundry and half of the machine shop belonging to C. H. Reid, all on Maple Avenue. The alarm was sounded while the firemen were still at work on the ruins of the first fire, which was about 500 feet distant. Both fires were in what is called the "Fire-bug District." The flames were started with the oily waste material that had been used in kindling all of the incendiary...
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1895 - Danbury
Danbury, dan’ber-e, a city, one of the capitals of Fair field co., Conn., is at the north terminus of the Danbury & Norwalk Railroad, 69 miles N.N.E. of New York, about 30 miles W.N.W. of New Haven, and 20 miles (direct) N.W. of Bridgeport. The Brookfield Branch of the Housatonic Railroad extends from this place to Brookfield Junction, and there connects with the main line of that railroad. It contains a court-house, 12 churches, a public library, 2 national and 2 savings-banks, 2 large graded schools, 2 news paper offices, 38 hat-factories, 2 machine-works, a silver ware-factory, 3 fur-cutting works, and 2 box-factories. Its prosperity is mainly supported by its manufactures of hats. Danbury was burned by the British in April, 1777. Pop. in 1890, 16,552.
1896 - $150,000 BLAZE IN DANBURY.
Fifteen Buildings Destroyed - Firemen, Hatter, and Woman Hurt.

DANBURY, Conn., March 3. - The Fire Department battled for four hours this morning with a fire in the centre of the city. Property worth $150,000 was destroyed. Half the damage is covered by insurance.
Capt. Hoyt and Frank Eastwood, a hoseman, were badly injured. Mrs. Hattie Carpenter, colored, who jumped from a window, was internally hurt. She was taken to the hospital. Fifteen buildings, all but one of wood, were burned to the ground.

The fire was caused by the explosion of an alcohol tank at Charles D. Park's hat shop. Mr. Park was severely burned, but he gave an alarm at once. Within five minutes the flames had spread to the adjoining buildings, all wooden ones.

The territory attacked by the fire is bounded by Maple Avenue, White Street, and Maiden Lane. In it were Weed's stables, Meeker's block, the Barnum Building, and Steven's sash and blind factory. There were twenty-five families housed in the district,...
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1896 - DANBURY'S FIRE. The Total Loss Inflicted Will Reach Fully $70,000.
Danbury, Conn., April 23. - The fire yesterday afternoon which destroyed Mackinzie & Sons' and Devenport & Von Gals' hat factories and George Taylor's tobacco store, near Taylor street, inflicted a total loss of fully $70,000. The fire started in the drying room of the Mackinzie factory. Engineer Charles B. Pickering smelled smoke, and on opening the door of the drying room the flames burst out and drove him back. There were but a dozen operatives in the place as the factory had been down to make repairs. The flames spread so quickly that they had barely time to make their escape. Fifteen minutes after the fire started the Mackinzie factory was in ruins and the flames had spread to Davenport & Von Gals; fifty feet distant. From there they leaped to the Taylor building. Lee & Hawley's factory just beyond and H. McLaughling's opposite were on fire several times and with the strong wind that was blowing it looked as though it would be impossible to save them. All buildings were large...
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1916
Danbury, dan'ber-e, a city, one of the capitals of Fair field co., Conn., on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R., 60 miles N N E. of New York. It has machine- and fur- cutting works, large hat-factories, manufactures of plated-ware, silks, etc. Danbury was burned by the British in April, 1777. Pop. in 1890, 16,552; in 1900, 16,537.
1927 - DANBURY BOY MAY LIVE AFTER CRASH
Struck by Truck, While Riding Bicycle, Boy May Recover.

DANBURY June 2 - (By Special Correspondent) - Chances for recovery of thirteen year old John Swanson 20 Spring street Danbury, who yesterday was struck and knocked down by a coal truck here were reported as good at Danbury hospital tonight.

The Swanson boy was hit by the truck while riding his bicycle Edward L. Smith City Hamlet Danbury the truck driver who was arrested on a charge of reckless driving was released today in bonds of $100 It is understood that following and examination of the brakes of the truck, which is the property of John McCarthy, coal dealer further charges may be made against the driver.

The boys' chest was crushed by the impact and although the scalp was badly lacerated, the skull was not fractured examination today showed X-rays will be taken tomorrow to learn if a broken rib has punctured a lung.
The Bridgeport Telegram
Bridgeport, Connecticut
June 3, 1927
1965 - December 4 - 2 passenger planes collide above Danbury, Conn, 4 die
Danbury is the wettest city in Connecticut, averaging 94 days of precipitation each year.
National Weather Service
Here's a list of places to go and things to do in and around Danbury:
Tarrywile Park and Mansion: This beautiful park offers over 700 acres of hiking trails, picnic areas, and a historic mansion. It's a perfect place for a leisurely stroll, birdwatching, or a family picnic.

Candlewood Lake: Connecticut's largest lake, Candlewood Lake, is a fantastic spot for boating, fishing, and swimming. You can rent a boat or kayak to explore the scenic shoreline.

Ives Concert Park: Named after famous musician Charles Ives, this park hosts a variety of outdoor concerts and events during the summer months. Bring a blanket, some snacks, and enjoy live music in a serene setting.

Danbury Railway Museum: If you're a train enthusiast, this museum is a must-visit. Explore vintage train cars and locomotives, learn about the history of railroads in the region, and even take a ride on a vintage train.

Danbury Fair Mall: For shopping enthusiasts, Danbury Fair Mall offers a wide range of stores, from high-end boutiques to popular chains. You can also catch a movie at ...
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GENEALOGY IN DANBURY

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Updated: 10/8/2023 2:53:08 PM
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