The Irish were well established in Danbury by the 1880s. Most of them lived in the Town Hill area, the Fourth Ward, and most of them were Democrats. They were a powerful political force in town. The first known Irishman in Danbury was a man named Flynn, who deserted from British General Tryon's troops during his raid on the town in 1777.
A few Scotch-Irish families made their way to the town in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including the descendent of John Tweedy from County Tyrone. They became very successful in their new country and eventually controlled some of Danbury's largest hat factories when the town was known as The Hat City.
Photo: View southeast of the west side of the street near Liberty Street. (Tod Bryant)
Bailey, James Montgomery. History of Danbury, Conn. 1684-1896. New York, Burr Printing House. 1896.
Roughly bounded by Town Hill Avenue, Sheridan Street, Pahquioque Avenue, and South Street.
The Town Hill section of Danbury is made up mostly of two story vernacular wood frame houses built from the last half of the nineteenth century throughout the first half of the twentieth century. There are a few high style houses in the Italianate and Queen Anne styles.
Date(s): 1860-1940
Accessibility:
Exterior visible from public road.
CT Irish-American
Heritage Trail
640 Arrowhead Drive
Orange, CT 06477
The Irish experience has had a profound impact on Connecticut's past, and its narrative spans all periods of the state's history and touches every one of its eight counties and 169 towns.
