History of Danbury

In 1684, Danbury was founded by eight families who had purchased the land from the Schaticoke Indians and moved to the area from Norwalk, Connecticut.  These eight original settling families were the Taylor, Bushnell, Barnum, Hoyt, Benedict (James), Benedict (Samuel), Beebe, and Gregorys.  Since beans were a crop that fared well in the rocky soil of Danbury, the town's first nickname was "Beantown."  In 1702, some 18 years after its founding, Danbury was granted a patent from the Connecticut General Assembly, effectively giving Danbury the full benefits provided to all towns of the state.

During the Revolutionary War, Danbury served as a weapons cache and supply point for the Continental Army.  Recognizing this, in 1777 the British, under the command of General Tyron raided Danbury, burning and looting the town in the process.  When the raid had subsided, some 19 houses and 20 barns were lost to the Redcoats.

For many years following this, Danbury continued to exist as a mostly agrarian community.  Then, in the 1850s Danbury saw the rise of the hatting industry coupled with the introduction of a railway system to the town.  As a result, the Danbury landscape soon underwent many changes that would alter forever the economic and demographic composition of this once sleepy town, paving the way for the Danbury, Connecticut of today.