John Rider was a Danbury carpenter, who also served as a state militia captain during the Revolutionary War. The house of John and his wife Mary was built in 1785 and was occupied by members of the Rider family until 1925. In 1941, the house was saved from potential destruction through the action of citizens, who formed the Danbury Historical Society and Arts Center. This organization merged, in 1947, with the Scott Fanton Museum to form the Danbury Museum and Historical Society. The Rider House on Main Street is today a museum and has been joined by other historic structures, which together form the Museum’s main campus.
John Rider House (1785)