Miry Brook, Connecticut

Miry Brook is an unincorporated area in the City of Danbury in Fairfield County, Connecticut.[1] It is located in the western part of the city, bordering Mill Plain to the north and west at Lake Kenosia and the town of Ridgefield, Connecticut, to the southwest. The Danbury Airport is located in Miry Brook.

Miry Brook, Connecticut
Unincorporated
Miry Brook Volunteer Fire Department in 2022
Miry Brook Volunteer Fire Department in 2022
Miry Brook is located in Connecticut
Miry Brook
Miry Brook
Location in Connecticut
Miry Brook is located in the United States
Miry Brook
Miry Brook
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 41°21′59.34″N 73°28′56.44″W[1]
CountryUnited States
U.S. stateConnecticut
CountyFairfield
RegionWestern CT
CityDanbury

History

The name Miry Brook is derived from the presence of swampland or “mire,” which makes up the landscape of the area, as well as the aptly named stream or “brook” that runs through it. According to local tradition however, it was named after an incident that occurred during the 1777 British retreat from Danbury (see Battle of Ridgefield), in which the Americans destroyed the bridge at Wolf Pond Run to impede the British, causing them a delay and mired artillery. Although this story may be true, it is not what gave rise to the name of the waterway and area, as there are recorded mentions of Miry Brook from as early as 1712.[2]

Miry Brook School

Although almost unrecognizable today, the Miry Brook Schoolhouse is one of four original district schools remaining in Danbury. In the early 1900s it was considered a "model rural school," and was part of a training program,[3] where Danbury Normal School (now WestConn) students completed their student teaching labs.[4] It would later become the auxiliary police headquarters & Civil Defense Building,[5] and has since undergone major modifications.

  • Miry Brook Dist. School in 1912
    Miry Brook Dist. School in 1912
  • Former schoolhouse in 2021
    Former schoolhouse in 2021

Watershed

As its name suggests, Miry Brook consists of a primary waterway surrounded by swampy wetlands. The Miry Brook itself begins in Ridgefield and runs throughout Danbury[6] until it reaches the Still River and feeds into it as one of its major tributaries.[7] This connects Miry Brook to the Housatonic River and Long Island Sound.[6]

Parks and recreation
  • Danbury Dog Park

References
  1. "Miry Brook". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. Imogene Heireth (1985). Names-Places: How Danbury Got Some Unusual Ones (PDF). Danbury: Danbury Tricentennial Committee. p. 12. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  3. "Was Teacher's Day". Connecticut Western News. Salisbury, Connecticut. January 19, 1911. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  4. "Miry Brook School Students outside". Western CT State University Archives' Digital Collections. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  5. "Auxiliary Police Meet In Danbury". The Bridgeport Post. Bridgeport, Connecticut. August 26, 1959. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  6. Sanders, Jack (August 30, 2021). "The Ridgefield Encyclopedia" (PDF). Ridgefieldlibrary.org. Ridgefield Library. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  7. "Still River Watershed Management Plan" (PDF). Housatonic Valley Association. Retrieved April 19, 2022.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.