Barnum Museum

The Barnum Museum, located in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, was a legacy gift to the city from the world famous showman P.T. Barnum.   Built for the Bridgeport Scientific Society and Fairfield County Historical Society in 1893, the exotically designed brownstone and terra cotta building has become an historic landmark.  The collections are diverse, reflecting both the original Societies’ collecting interests as well as thousands of artifacts and documents pertaining to P. T. Barnum and his family, and his famous associates.  Among his best known performers, “General Tom Thumb” (Charles S. Stratton) was born in Bridgeport, and was a lifelong friend of Barnum’s. The collection contains many of their personal items such as clothing and accessories, furniture, miniature carriages, family letters, and artwork, but also includes photographs, business correspondence, advertising, and ephemera related to Barnum’s many enterprises.