Danbury History Project

In 2002 five city organizations met to improve the Danbury History resources for public school and Western Connecticut University students. The WCSU librarians, the Education Department, Danbury Library, the Danbury School System, and the Danbury Historical Society saw the need to gather more material about Danbury in the 20 and 21st century. They wanted to make material more reader friendly to third graders as well as develop materials on the immigrant explosion and major changes in the city.

From these series of Danbury History meetings the following developments have been forth coming:

1. •Bringing school children and their families free of charge to see a production of Sybil and Friends at the Ives Auditorium.
   

2. •Initiating an oral history program where local residents are interviewed and their stories are recorded for the web site, for the archives, and for the school system.
   

3. •Initiating a Danbury History course on the WCSU campus for teachers in the local school systems.
   

4. •Seeking grant funding to further develop the existing Danbury History Web Sites and eventually finding a connection for all four sites.
   

Thanks to the committee members:

1. WCSU librarians: Ralph Holibaugh, Janet Ohles, Jenny Innes, Veronica Kenausis, Meg Moughan, Walter Giersbach
   

2. WCSU grant writer: Margaret Leahey
   

3. Danbury Historical Society: Brigit Durkin
   

4. Danbury Library: John O'Donnell
   

5. Danbury School System: Dr. Bill Glass, Clare Barnett, Christine Pruss, Joretta Kilcourse
   

6. WCSU Education Department: Dr. Darla Shaw and The Education Club