Building on the Beach

In 1891, a Danbury family built the first permanent beach cottage in Fairfield. Land along the beach was inexpensive, since most people preferred to live elsewhere in town. Other Danbury residents followed, and within a few years, about fifteen cottages made up an area called “Little Danbury,” near Reef Road, which was built to connect this settlement with the town. Following suit, a “Little Bridgeport” with inexpensive cottages emerged along the beach at Pine Creek in the 1890s.

In the decades that followed, these beach cottages were joined by many others, with names like “Sand Reef,” “Bunny Cottage,” “Comfort,” “The Quiet,” and “The Racket,” housing local residents and a growing number of vacationers from New York and other parts of Connecticut.