Historic Buildings Tour Signed in as: filler@godaddy.com Upcoming Events Plan Your Visit Plan Your Visit Research Historic Buildings Tour Charles Ives Birthplace Marian Anderson Studio Membership Collecting & Donations Digital Archives Celebrate Black History Student Resources The Great Danbury Fair Danbury History in Brief Newsletter Archive Volunteer! Account Bookings My Account Bookings My Account Historic Building Tours Tours of the Danbury Museum's four Historic Buildings are offered Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday, at 12 noon, and booked via Eventbrite. For open tour dates and more information, click below. We appreciate booking in advance when possible. Huntington Hall, the main level of the John & Mary Rider House, and the Marian Anderson studio are all wheelchair accessible. There are stairs to the John Dodd Hat Shop and the schoolhouse. Please note that if a date is not available to book, it is already sold out and the tour is filled. Learn More & Book a Tour The John & Mary Rider House The John & Mary Rider House is the Danbury Museum’s signature historic structure. The house that previously stood on this property, the home of Jonah Benedict, was destroyed by fire when the British troops raided Danbury on April 26, 1777. The property was bought from the Benedicts and this home was constructed in 1785. The Rider House was saved from destruction by the combined efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution and other concerned citizens. The Danbury Museum showcases multiple aspects of Colonial-era and 19th century life within the Rider House and it has been a favorite part of school field trips for many years. Guided tours of the Rider House and all four historic buildings are available Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 12 noon. Please book your tour via Eventbrite. The John Dodd Hat Shop The John Dodd Hat Shop was built in 1790 and was originally two doors south of the Rider House on Main Street. The Hat Shop is typical of small concerns that would have lined Towne Street (modern day Main Street) in the 18th century. John Dodd used it as a law office. In 1958, the building was moved to its current spot to make way for a grocery store. To honor Danbury’s heritage as a hat making center, the Dodd Hat Shop contains a hatting exhibit and many hats and hatting-related artifacts. The Little Red Schoolhouse The Little Red Schoolhouse is a reproduction of a typical one-room schoolhouse found in the greater Danbury area during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Bricks from the old Balmforth Avenue school were used to construct our building. The Schoolhouse houses artifacts that relate to education history and early American schooling in Danbury and is an integral part of our school field trips as well. Marian Anderson Studio In 1943 Marian Anderson and her husband Orpheus Fisher bought a farm on Joe’s Hill Road in Danbury. They named their property Marianna Farm and remained there for many years. Mr Fisher, an architect, built this studio for his wife where she could sing and rehearse. After her husband’s death in 1986, Ms Anderson continued to live at Marianna Farm until 1992, a year before her death in 1993. In 1993 the Studio was donated to the Danbury Museum and in 1999 it was moved to the Danbury Museum campus. The studio was rehabilitated and opened to the public in 2004. Copyright © 2026 Danbury Museum. All Rights Reserved. This website uses cookies. We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data. Decline Accept