Danbury Museum Honored By Meserve Fund

DANBURY — Danbury Museum & Historical Society has received a grant of $25,000 from the Albert W. and Helen C. Meserve Memorial Fund. The special, one-time Millennium Grant was given to assist the museum’s efforts in establishing a permanent hatting exhibit in the Dodd Shop, an 18th Century two-room building located on museum grounds at 43 Main Street.

The committee in charge of the effort to establish the new permanent exhibit is also seeking funds from other local foundations and individuals. The Meserve Grant is important to the museum’s fundraising drive. Albert Meserve was once president of the museum board and Helen Meserve was secretary for many years to Frank H. Lee, the owner of Danbury’s largest hatting factory.

For 150 years, Danbury’s economic strength was almost totally dependent upon the manufacture of hats and related products. One hundred years ago, more than 30 factories employed over half  of Danbury’s labor force, producing dozens of rough and finished hats each work day.

The museum owns many artifacts related to hatting including a small reproduction of a factory front and back shops, a large collection of craftsmen hand tools used in the early years of hatmaking, hats, boxes and photographs.

The new exhibit will display these artifacts in specially designed exhibit cases and include extensive use of graphics and photographs, a hatmaking video, and an interactive segment for visitors. The exhibit, estimated to cost approximately $100,000 to design and create, is scheduled to open in spring 2001.