John Rider House: Danbury’s Oldest Building

Every Wednesday, we have our "Where is it Wednesday" contest. We pick a landmark or well-known building, and listeners call in with the town where it is located to win the prize.

I love doing this segment, because we get to learn about all these great historical places that are in our area. This week our landmark was the John Rider House, which is located on Main Street in Danbury, CT. If you are in the Danbury area, you have probably passed by this house many times.

I looked up some information on the house, because I was curious, and according to Wikipedia, it's the oldest building in the city. The house was built in the late 18th century, and actually remained in the Rider family until 1925.

In the 1940s, it was in danger of being demolished, but was saved and restored. In 1977, it was put on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is where the Danbury Museum and Historical Society is located.

The history of the original owner is that he was a local carpenter and was a captain in the state militia during the Revolutionary War. Wikipedia says that he built the house in 1785.

There are tours available at the John Rider House on Saturdays from 10 AM - 3 PM. Later this month, they are having a clam bake (yum!) at their Main Street campus. For more information about Danbury Museum (and the clam bake) you can visit their website.

Have you ever been to the Danbury Museum?

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