The Danbury Museum and Historical Society preserves the heritage of the Greater Danbury area through a campus of historic buildings and a separate Charles Ives Birthplace site. Formed in 1947 by the merger of two earlier organizations, it grew from the Fantons’ artifact collections and a community effort to save the 1785 Rider House from demolition. Its Main Street campus includes Huntington Hall, the John Rider House, the Little Red Schoolhouse, the John Dodd Hat Shop, and the Marian Anderson Studio. Together these sites connect Danbury’s domestic life, education, hat-making industry, and musical legacy, reflecting the city’s identity and history.