California note
Norwalk's Hargitt House ties a family home to schools and cheese
The D.D. Johnston-Hargitt House Museum links Norwalk's early family history with local schools, early industry, and volunteer-led tours.
Norwalk’s D.D. Johnston-Hargitt House Museum is the kind of place that makes an older city feel easier to picture.
It is a nationally registered landmark, and docent-led tours bring the house to life. The museum holds family heirlooms, local memorabilia, and pieces of Norwalk’s past. The house has local memory behind the curb appeal.
One detail makes the story especially local. Darius David Johnston was tied to two everyday parts of early Norwalk life: he helped start the first school system and helped begin one of the town’s first industries, a cheese factory.
That is useful because it keeps history from feeling too grand. A school, a food business, a family home, and volunteers leading tours can say a lot about how a town became a city.
Where to see it
D.D. Johnston-Hargitt House Museum in Norwalk. Check the city historic homes page for tour timing and weather notes.
Sources
Sources for this story
Reviewed July 2, 2026
Public sources for the places, events, and details above.
Connected places
Open the local directory
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