Danbury’s Hatting Industry
By 1850, more hats were made in Danbury than any other place in the United States. There were about 56 hat factories or shops in Danbury and it became known as Hat City.
A lot of water is needed to make hats and Danbury built many reservoirs to hold the water needed for the factories. Today, we use those reservoirs for our drinking water. Danbury also had a very good transportation system to take the hats to other cities.
Over the next 100 years, millions of hats were made here. Most people in Danbury worked in businesses that had something to do with the making and selling of hats. The hatting industry created great wealth in Danbury. 
Workers were well paid and were considered to be artisans.
But by the 1950's, not many people were buying hats. People spent more time in cars and less time outside, so they didn't need a hat to stay warm. The styles changed and men no longer wore felt hats. The hat factories started to close down. The last Danbury hat factory closed in 1987.
