P.T. Barnum in Bridgeport, Connecticut

Our tourist adventure today comes from a new resource my brother gave us before we left home, "Curious New England, The Unconventional Traveler's Guide to Eccentric Destinations." Our destination is in Bridgeport which is on the coast about 50 miles south of our campground. We came through Bridgeport on our way north from New Jersey/New York. The I-91 goes north from the I-95 here.

The Barnum Museum is housed in a building opened in 1893, two years after the death of P.T. Barnum. He pledged the money for the building to be home to the Bridgeport Scientific Society and the Fairfield County Historical Society. It was renamed the Barnum Museum in 1968 and today houses exhibits about Barnum the Man on the first floor, Bridgeport and Barnum on the second floor, and Barnum's American Museum on the third floor. Photography is not allowed inside the museum, but I turned off my flash and took a photo of the five-ring, 1,000 square foot miniature circus carved by William Brinley.

P.T. Barnum was one of those people who could promote anything. He met Charles Stratton in Bridgeport in 1842. Charles was four years old and a midget. Mr. Barnum hired Charles, to be accompanied by his mother, for $3 a week, plus room, board and travel expenses, as an attraction at Barnum's American Museum in New York City. Barnum renamed him "General Tom Thumb," told the world he was eleven years old. Charles was trained to sing, dance, act, mime, tell jokes and gen3erally amuse and delight audiences. At age 24, Charles married Lavinia Bump, also a midget, in a spectacular wedding in New York's Grace Church, attended by 2,000 guests. P.T. Barnum arranged and promoted the wedding. The couple performed with Barnum for 20 years, including triumphant tours of Europe.

In 1871 Barnum opened a circus billed as "the Greatest Show on Earth." In 1881 he merged with competitor James Bailey forming Barnum & Bailey Circus. It became Ringling Bros, Barnum & Baily after Barnum's death.


It was an interesting afternoon and we finished it off in Middletown at Praline's Own Made Ice Cream. This is another place it's good we don't live too close to. In the fall they have cranberry gingersnap which sounds delicious to me. It compares VERY favorably to Mitchell's in San Francisco.