The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut, houses artifacts related to the history of Bridgeport and the life of PT Barnum, a circus master and collector. The museum was initially funded to preserve local history, but exhibits on Barnum’s life were later added. The museum suffered significant damage in a tornado in 2010 and required extensive fundraising to repair. The museum is considered the first modern museum with a circus theme and delves into the culture of early touring acts.
Located in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the Barnum Museum houses two main categories of artifacts: those relating to Bridgeport and nearby areas of Fairfield over the centuries, and those relating to American circus master and curio collector PT Barnum. Barnum was a Connecticut native who, in the mid-1800s, developed a very successful business showing and charging admission to see the oddities of human existence. He initially funded what is now the Barnum museum with the idea that it would be a place to preserve local history. Over time, exhibits commemorating Barnum’s life and unusual accomplishments have also been added to the collection.
Barnum was a museum connoisseur long before he got into the circus trade. In fact, his circus career began in a museum called PT Barnum’s American Museum. The exhibits – mostly of humans with unusual abilities or genetic abnormalities – were the forerunners of many circus shows. Barnum’s traveling circus was remarkably profitable, although Barnum left most of his trust earnings to build an entirely different kind of museum in his hometown. That legacy led to what is now the Barnum Museum.
Originally, the museum was dedicated to the work of the Scientific Society of Bridgeport, along with that of the Fairfield County Historical Society. The museum contained artifacts from early life in Fairfield County as well as scientific advances and discoveries by residents. One of the museum’s most popular features was its regular lecture series, which brought many well-known speakers to the area.
However, the Barnum Museum lost a significant amount of money during the Great Depression, which forced its relocation to the city of Bridgeport. Many American museums were forced to close or similarly reallocate space during this period. For a time, the Barnum Museum building was used as offices for city workers. Only many years later, many years after private funds became available, the museum was able to return to being a place of public exhibition.
New funding brought with it a new vision, and before long the museum’s historic exhibits were back. By this point, Barnum had been dead for quite some time. The new museum board has chosen to collect and preserve many of the artifacts from his life and career in a dedicated museum exhibition. As a result, the modern Barnum Museum contains both Barnum’s hoped-for history of Bridgeport and a rotating collection of circus life in the early 20th century.
The Barnum Museum is considered the first of many modern museums with a circus theme. However, many of the galleries go beyond simple circus attractions, delving into the lives of Barnum’s exhibitors and detailing the culture of early touring acts. Visiting museums like this one gives viewers a sort of context in which to view otherwise static objects.
Many of the Barnum Museum’s collections suffered damage when the building, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, was hit by a devastating tornado in 2010. This forced closure of the museum as a whole and required significant fundraising by private donors and foundations to repair. Both the building structure and a large number of artifacts were badly damaged.
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