Inside the Gates of the Danbury Old Burying Ground Cemetery

A lot of people throw around the term morbid fascination when it comes to certain topics, especially if it pertains to the deceased. I would say I have a fascination with cemeteries or burying grounds but I don't consider it to be morbid.

I'm not fixated on the dead at all, it's the life that is represented on a headstone that intrigues me. These are markers that have just enough information to make you wonder about the people that were buried there.

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I see a grave, read the name, the date, the person was born, when they died and wonder what their life might have been like, and how is it different from mine? In some cases, the headstone will even give you a more detailed idea of what their legacy was.

A gravestone might tell you what the person did for a living, how they died or what they believed in. It's not a morbid fascination, it's an appreciation that there was something here before me.

I look at it as a recognition that my story is a small part of a much bigger tale. So yes, I like to visit cemeteries and just walk around, and Wooster Street Cemetery has been on my list for awhile.

Exploring Beyond the Rusty Gates of Danbury's Oldest Cemetery on Wooster Street

I live just down the block from the Wooster Street Cemetery and whenever I pass, I am always struck at how odd it is. You have this quiet, beautiful place that is dedicated to the people who were buried there, in the middle of a busy city and almost no one ever goes there. I decided to go take a deeper look around and see what was beyond the iron gates and stone walls.

Wooster Street and Wooster Cemetery in Danbury, Connecticut are named for Revolutionary War General David Wooster. Wooster was shot while on his horse in May 1, 1777, he died May 2, 1777 but before dying, he made a brave and lasting comment. Wooster said:

"I am dying, but with a strong hope and persuasion that my country will gain her independence."

I didn't know about the quote, a friend of mine told me. That friend is Mark Boughton. Boughton is the former Mayor of Danbury and he was a history teacher at Danbury High School.

FUN FACT - There are 6 Boughtons that were laid to rest at Wooster Street Cemetery, Betsey, Emily, Emily, Fannie, Lucius and Mary.

Danbury is loaded with places like Wooster Street Cemetery. There is a ton of history right in front of us and sometimes we just don't slow down long enough to appreciate it. So, slow down, take a look and you will realize you are a small part of a long story, the story of Danbury.

Shelton Rec Center is the Site of a Decommissioned U.S. Missile Defense Base

The recreation center on Mohegan Road in Shelton, CT is all fun and games now but was once the site of some serious business. Shelton is not the only town in CT with a frightening Cold War past, Ansonia and Fairfield boast similar remains.

Inside the Charming Russian Village in the Woods of Southbury

Every Tuesday you can hear "The Place You Live" on the Ethan and Lou Show featuring Mike Allen. Mike takes a deep dive into one local story each week and this week it was all about a Russian village in Connecticut. This week we learned that Southbury, CT is the home of a tiny Russian Village designed by some of Russia's most well respected writers.

JK's Texas Hot Weiners Has Nearly 100 Year History in Danbury

How does one family owned business survive for nearly 100 years? I don't know the answer, but the folks at JK's Texas Hot Weiners in Danbury do. Not only does JK's serve a unique and delicious product with care, but they do it together and it's evident in their history.

Nuclear Lake in Pawling, NY Has an Explosive History

Nuclear Lake is not just a clever name, it's a literal one. Tucked away in the woods of Pawling, NY, once sat a secret research facility. On the shores of the 55 acre body of water, were labs conducting experiments, using uranium and plutonium. The Lake can be accessed by anyone walking the Appalachian Trail in Dutchess County, but should it?

In 1970, Two Men Robbed a Danbury Bank + Blew Up the Police Station

The story of the Pardue brothers, their connection to Danbury and what happened in the Hat City in February of 1970 came to us from Mike Allen. Every Tuesday Mike joins the Ethan and Lou Show on I-95 for a feature called "The Place You Live" and this week it was a local story unlike any I'd ever heard.

John Pardue was a 27-year-old man in 1970 who lived in Danbury, his brother James was 23, and living in Lusby, MD. Before the story finds its way to the Hat City, and the brothers rob the Union Savings Bank on Main Street, they had already racked up quite the list of astonishing crimes.

Prior to Danbury, they robbed banks in Lewisboro, NY, Georgetown, CT and Union, MO. They also killed their father, their grandmother, two other men who helped them pull off the robbery in Georgetown, CT and had, at minimum, a role in the death of an innocent Bridgeport man that they stole a car from. John and James Pardue were hardened criminals before their Danbury bank robbery.

Complete Walk Through Guide to Not Smash Your Roof at This Danbury Parking Garage

I wanted to hang with my wife and grab some grub at a Danbury's Mothership on Main, it sounds simple enough but I can take the smallest thing and make it way more difficult than it needs to be. My family and I ended up on a rollercoaster of emotion, experiencing everything from joy, to embarrassment, to laughter and finally, gleeful dining. This is what not to do when parking your car at Mothership.