Danbury Historic District

Danbury, in the center of Stokes County among the Sauratown Mountains, was laid out in 1850 as the county seat. Its historic district holds sixty-nine structures, with the 1904 brick courthouse on a hilltop still dominating the town. Wheeler and Runge of Charlotte designed the courthouse, and L. W. Cooper built it along with the brick jail. Main Street winds with the land, and the original arrangement of government, commercial and residential lots survives. Most buildings date from the late nineteenth century through the 1930s, a period of growth linked to court business and to the nearby mineral springs resorts. Large two-and-a-half-story frame houses with two-tier porches show the resorts' influence, while log saddlebag houses, bungalows, one-story offices, banks, hotels, four churches and several schools complete the mix. A 1925 fire led to brick replacing frame commercial buildings near the courthouse. Few intrusions exist, so the town keeps its character as a courthouse community.