Barnum Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Barnum Museum |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Byzantine, Islamic, Gothic and Romanesque influences |
| Town or city | 820 Main Street Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Country | United States |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Client | P. T. Barnum |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Stone and terra cotta |
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Barnum Institute of Science and History
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 820 Main St., Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Part of | Bridgeport Downtown South Historic District (ID87001402) |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001300 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | December 11, 2023 |
| Designated CP | September 3, 1987 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Longstaff & Hurd |
| Engineer | Longstaff & Hurd |
The Barnum Museum is a cool place to visit at 820 Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It has a huge collection of items connected to the famous showman P. T. Barnum. You can also learn about the history of Bridgeport there. The building itself was paid for by Barnum. It was first known as the Barnum Institute of Science and History. This historic building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was also named a National Historic Landmark because of its strong link to P. T. Barnum.
The museum building is also connected to a part of Bridgeport Center. This is a group of buildings finished in 1989, located on the same land as the museum.
Contents
Building the Barnum Museum
The idea for the museum building came from P. T. Barnum himself. He paid for its construction and provided the land. Barnum wanted a place for the Bridgeport Scientific Society and the Fairfield County Historical Society. The building was finished in 1893. It has been home to the Barnum Museum ever since.
Design and Features
This three-story museum is in downtown Bridgeport. It is made of stone and terra cotta, which is a type of baked clay. The building's design mixes different styles. You can see influences from Byzantine and Romanesque architecture.
The original plan was for the first floor to have shops. This would help support the societies upstairs. A special decorative band called a frieze runs along the top of the building. It was created by Henri Plasschaert. This frieze shows five scenes from American history. These scenes are called "Native American (1670)," "Early Settler (1760)," "Maritime (1840)," "Civil War (1861)," and "Industrial Revolution (1870)." There are also busts, which are sculptures of heads and shoulders. These busts show a Native American, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Elias Howe, Civil War General Winfield Scott, and Grover Cleveland.
The Museum's History
Before he passed away, P. T. Barnum left $100,000 to build this museum. The building was completed in 1893. It opened its doors on February 18 of that year. It was first called The Barnum Institute of Science and History. It was used as a library and a place for lectures. Famous inventors like the Wright brothers and Thomas Edison even came to speak there.
Changes Over Time
The first floor was meant to have shops, but none ever opened. This caused money problems for the societies in the building. They had expected income from the shops to help them. During the Great Depression, both societies faced serious financial trouble. They had to stop operating. In 1933, the City of Bridgeport took over the building. The city then opened the Barnum Museum in 1936.
The city closed the building in 1943 for renovations. It reopened in 1946 as an annex for city hall. The third floor was still used to show some collections from the old societies. The building served as a city office until the 1960s.
Becoming a Museum Again
In 1965, people who cared about the museum pushed for it to become a museum again. All city offices moved out of the building that year. After that, the building was repaired and updated. This work helped it become a museum once more. New areas were created to show exhibits about Bridgeport's history. There were also exhibits about P. T. Barnum's life. The museum reopened as the P. T. Barnum Museum in 1968. City of Bridgeport employees worked there.
In 1972, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2023. This honor recognized its connection to Barnum. He was a very important person in shaping American culture in the late 1800s.
Modern Era and Digital Collections
Since 1986, The Barnum Museum Foundation has managed the building. This group works to keep the museum running. Renovations started in 1986 and cost $7.5 million. The building reopened again in June 1989 after these updates. New galleries were added. They showed history about the local industrial age and P. T. Barnum's life. An addition of 7,000 square feet was also built. This new space is used for special exhibits and events.
The museum also recreated P.T. Barnum's personal library from his old Iranistan estate. Many other items and displays show what life was like in Bridgeport in the 1800s. There is also an exhibit about Tom Thumb. He was one of P. T. Barnum's most famous performers. The oldest item the museum owns is a 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy. Experts from Quinnipiac University confirmed it is real. Unfortunately, storms damaged many items between 2010 and 2012.
In 2016, the Barnum Museum worked with the Bridgeport History Center. They received a grant to make parts of their collections digital. The P.T. Barnum Digital Collection is online. It is hosted by the University of Connecticut's digital archive. This digital collection has over 1,200 items. These include letters, ledgers, and clothes worn by P.T. Barnum, Lavinia Warren, and Tom Thumb. There are also unusual items, like a slice of fruitcake from Warren and Thumb's 1863 wedding. You can also see furniture from Barnum's Iranistan home. A rare letterpress copybook of letters written by P.T. Barnum is also available. These letters are from 1845 to 1846, when he was touring Europe with Tom Thumb.
The museum is part of the North American Reciprocal Museums program. This means members of other museums in the program can often visit for free or at a reduced price.
See also
- History of Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Barnum's American Museum – in New York City, 1841–1865
- Hotel Barnum, also listed on the NRHP in Bridgeport
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bridgeport, Connecticut
