The Danbury Court House

The Danbury Court House. Danbury, Connecticut. , Danbury’s first courthouse was built in 1785; complete with old stocks and whipping posts near the front entrance. These were dispensed with when the city’s second courthouse was built in 1824. , Civic events and elections were held in the courthouse and it was also iused for the display of handcrafted goods during agricultural fairs held in nearby Elmwood Park. , In September of 1848, General Tom Thumb visited Danbury with his employer P.T. Barnum. His exhibition was held at the Court House in Danbury. , In 1832, prior to starting his circus venture, Barnum was on trial for libel in the very same courtroom.. Convicted and sentenced to sixty days in the Danbury jail on the opposite side on Main Street, he continued to edit his weekly newspaper, The Herald of Freedom. , At one time, the secret, anti-Catholic, Know-Nothing party had enough local support to deny use of the town-owned courthouse to the newly organized St. Peter parish for weekly masses. , With the growth of Danbury, the original courthouse was deemed unfit for the civic needs of the town. In 1899, before a more suitable one could be built, its predecessor was auctioned off and won by Mayor Charles Kerr. The building was moved across Main Street to a lot on Taylor Lane where it became the longtime home of the Danbury Square Box Company. , In 2005, the property was purchased by the city and the old courthouse was razed to build the Elmwood Senior Center. , The present Court House on Main Street, built in 1899, handles Juvenile Court Matters for Fairfield County.