Barnum Museum

Would you like to see a 1,000-square-foot miniature replica of P. T. Barnum’s circus as handcrafted by William Brinley? Would you like to see Tom Thumb, arguably Barnum’s finest act? Would you like to see a 2500-year-old Egyptian mummy, already authenticated by the Quinnipiac University? Are you biased towards academia, and would appreciate a natural history of menageries, taxidermy exhibits, aquaria, paintings, wax figures, Shakespearean dramas and associated memorabilia? Then welcome to Barnum Museum and you will reminiscence on true art, while also staring at his 3000 miniature figures. That is not all. Fun at Barnum Museum has infinite proportions, for those of us who treasure the American spirit.

The Barnum Museum features a collection of P.T. Barnum’s work and the history of Bridgeport. Built on a structural system of terra cotta and stones, the Barnum Museum stands as majestic as they come on 820 Main Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Museum is in a historic building, itself a recognized entity in the register of historic places. This 1893 building’s design and building was under the supervision of Longstaff and Hurd. It combines Romanesque influences with Gothic, Islamic and Byzantine styles. Being in Barnum Museum is an experience by itself, before sampling the contents within.

Fun museums exist all over the globe, but few of them touch the sentimental cord of visitors to the extent that Barnum Museum does. The three-storey museum has the most authentic and extensive imagery artifacts of the Native American history, the Civil War and even Industrial-age reliefs. There is just no exceeding measure of museum fun than watching the relief panels of Christopher Columbus, displayed alongside the Civil War legend General Winfield Scott. The true American spirit and the domineering achievements of the great nation are masterfully captured by the majestic presences of Grover Cleveland and George Washington in relief panels. When we talk modern America, we draw inspiration from what the Barnum Museum has so masterfully conserved within her walls.

P. T. Barnum had given the land and funds to establish the museum as a recognition and commendation of the Fairfield County Historical Society and the Bridgeport Scientific Society. These funds amounted to a wholesome USD 100,000 bequeathed in trust for the establishment of the museum. The Barnum Museum has a rich history too, part of what sets it apart from any historical, academic and fun museums in the United States today. When the building was completed in January 1893, it was given the name The Barnum Institute of Science and History, and officially inaugurated on 18th February 1893. It came into operation as resource library with a spacious, well-organized lecture hall. Luminaries such as Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers held historic lecturers here during those days.

The smooth running of the institute however came under great strain during the Depression since most projects running from there were not raising adequate funds for day-to-day operations. The fiscal handicap was so serious that the institute stopped all operations and closed shop. Nevertheless, the City of Bridgeport assumed the ownership of the building in 1933 and opened the Barnum Museum in 1936. A stager came by in 1943 when the Museum closed for three consecutive years. However, when it finally opened, it had been transformed into a city hall annex, and it took public outcry to transform it back to a museum.

In 1965, remodeling of the museum started. It reopened as the Barnum Museum in 1968, featuring historical exhibits of Bridgeport and the noble life of P.T. Barnum. The staff fell under the employment of the city of Bridgeport. That was the new beginning of what has turned out to be an American success story. In 1972, the Barnum Museum building was recognized and included in the US National Register of Historic Places with an ID No. 72001300.

Then in 1986, the Barnum Museum Foundation, a public-private initiative, took over the management, maintenance and development of the Barnum Museum. To transform it to a top destination of all American fun museums, the building underwent renovation up to June 1989, to the tune of $7.5 million. Today, if you visit the museum, that is if you are a fan of museum fun, you will be amazed by the galleries added later to detail the history of the American industrial age. An extension to the original building now hosts rotational exhibitions and events that have today perfected whatever illusions you have of museum fun.

Leading historians and academics have recognized the Barnum Museum as a pivotal American institution heralding the sacred 19th century urban culture, which propelled the United States of America to global stardom. When it comes to museum fun, the Barnum Museum packs it all in one educative, inspiring and breathtaking visit.