Danbury

DANBURY Eight families came from Norwalk in 1685 to settle this area which the Indians called Pahquioque. They built their first homes a half mile south of here and made this green their common. The General Court in October, 1687, decreed the name "Danbury" although the settlers had chosen "Swampfield." Beans and other crops helped make Danbury an inland trading center by 1750 with a population of two thousand. At the start of the American Revolution this town became a hospital and supply base. General Tryon led a British force of two thousand in a raid on Danbury on April 26-27, 1777. Three young men, one a Negro, died in defense of the town near the north end of this green. The British burned nineteen houses, a church, twenty-two barns, and many supplies. (See other side) DANBURY (Continued from other side) General David Wooster, commanding the American forces which set upon the British, was wounded at Ridgefield and died and was buried here. The street to the west bears his name. Hat making became Danbury's foremost industry after Independence. Until the 1950's, Danbury was known as the Hat City of the World. Charles Ives, famed American composer, was born here in 1874. His birthplace has been preserved by the Danbury Scott-Fanton Museum and Historical Society.