What's new contains information about new acquisitions, research guides, and more
BHC Special Events/Announcements
Bridgeport History Center Schedule
Tuesday, September 12 - December 31, 2023
1:15 pm - 12:00 am
The History Center is currently open to the public the following hours:
Wednesday: 12:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday: 12:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Saturdays are by appointment only: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | 12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
To request a slot on a Saturday:
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- Please fill out this form with your preferred time slot(s) and contact information OR give us a call at (203) 576-7400 ext. 7
If you are interested in viewing archival collections, we strongly encourage you to contact us at least 24 hours ahead, so that we may discuss your research interests with you and retrieve selected materials from storage.
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Free Genealogy Programs from American Ancestors!
Thursday, November 30 - December 12, 2023
12:00 am - 11:45 pm
Fall is the perfect time to work on genealogy. Don’t forget to take advantage of these great, FREE webinars offered by American Ancestors:
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- An Introduction to the Committee on Heraldry, Presented by Nathaniel Lane Taylor
Thursday, November 30, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET - Applying to Revolutionary War Lineage Societies, Presented by Lindsay Fulton
Thursday, December 7, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET - Family History Roundtable: Getting Family Involved in Your Research, Presented by David Allen Lambert, Rhonda R. McClure, and Melanie McComb
Moderated by Kathleen Mackenzie
Tuesday, December 12, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
- An Introduction to the Committee on Heraldry, Presented by Nathaniel Lane Taylor
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Memoir Writing Workshop
Saturday, December 16, 2023
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
REGISTER HERE or Contact: 203-576-7400, #7 [Zoom alternative also available]
Michael Brelsford, M.F.A., leads the class which will include free form writing exercises and an exploration of the nature of memoirs, and examining voice and perspective. Drop in any month!
BHC News
Pod Cast – We Fought At Gettysburg – an Interview with author Carolyn Ivanoff
Mary Donohue the producer of our state podcast, Grating the Nutmeg, interviews local historian Carolyn Ivanoff about her newest book, <u>We Fought at Gettysburg</u> which details the experiences of Connecticut’s 17th Regiment. The 17th was comprised of many Bridgeport and area residents.
New Exhibit: Bridgeport’s Bravest
Since 1796, the firefighters of Bridgeport have tirelessly dedicated themselves to protecting Connecticut’s largest city. Bridgeport’s Bravest is a new exhibit designed by archivist Jaime Pettit from the Bridgeport History Center, that showcases the history of firefighting in Bridgeport, as well as the fire department’s involvement in the community. The exhibit features authentic artifacts from the Bridgeport fire department, as well as photographs of firefighters throughout the centuries. Be sure to visit us on the third floor of the Burroughs-Saden Building!
Reduced workweek firefighter pamphlet
BHC x CTDA: Bridgeport’s history, now more searchable than ever
Find BHC Materials ONLINE
The Bridgeport History Center has been a proud part of the Connecticut Digital Archive for years now, taking advantage of this unique digital preservation platform that invites cultural institutions from all around Connecticut to share digitized material. Since March of 2020, BHC has worked hard to take advantage of CTDA’s hosting, search features, and support in order to make more of it’s holdings available and easier to search.
BHC is proud to share its updated CTDA space. Explore Black Bridgeport. Get to know our Archives and Manuscripts better. Did you know we have yearbooks digitized? All of our Grassroots Historians articles are available too, along with postcards and Mary Witkowski’s newspaper articles. You can search within the Bridgeport History Center’s collections only, or expand it to all of CTDA in order to find more material.
New and Noteworthy at BHC
The Bridgeport History Center updates our new and noteworthy page on a regular basis! Check back to see what we’ve added and you can come in and use. This page was last updated on April 22, 2022.
New Special Collections
BHC has long held biographical newspaper clipping files. Now researchers can view the list of names included in this substantial collection.
New Photographs
BHC has been continuing to add photographs to the Connecticut Digital Archive. There are over one thousand images available, with more on the way! Don’t see what you’re looking for? Contact us on our contact form.
New Digital Collections
BHC has one of the best newspaper clippings collections in the state. Explore some of the initial offerings from this vast resource.
New Research Guides
At long last, BHC has updated it’s Labor and Industrial History Research guide! Clocking in at 11 pages, this contains an in depth list of the material related to labor history available for you to use at the Bridgeport History Center. Offerings include archival collections, newspaper resources, and secondary works.
BHC Events & Regular Monthly Programming
Featured Articles
Bridgeport’s Most Mysterious Millionaire Founder of A&P George Francis Gilman
By Carolyn Ivanoff
George Francis Gilman was a man recognizable to Bridgeporters, especially those in Black Rock. He was the wealthiest man in Fairfield County. When he retired from his legendary career as a tea importer to Bridgeport in 1878, he purchased a prominent 1762 colonial estate in Black Rock. Gilman was known for his expansive entertaining of famous celebrities, actresses, and the “upper crust” He and his wife were childless but had adopted a nephew. Mrs. Gilman passed away in 1891. After his wife’s death, Mr. Gilman no longer included the first families of Bridgeport in his entertaining, preferring to ignore them. He distanced himself from his adopted nephew, and he isolated himself thoroughly from local and familial relationships, but continued to host extravagant parties for actresses, artists, and the elite of the age. On November 7, 1894, after a lavish ball, the house went up in flames suddenly and spectacularly. Gilman, his guests, and his servants narrowly escaped, and several of New York’s privileged saved themselves by jumping from the windows in their night clothes or the expensive costumes they had worn to the ball. Gilman’s priceless art collection was destroyed, the entire home and contents lost. (more…)
Death and the Historian
by Elizabeth Boyce
Just a few years back, my youngest daughter innocently summed up my work to new friends saying: “Oh, and that’s my mom.” As they passed by, she added, “She works with dead people.”
She wasn’t wrong. I do spend an inordinate amount of time getting to know the people of the past. So, for this Halloween, let me share with you the intertwining stories of two men who, like me, were historians. They each spent many hours walking amongst the headstones of local cemeteries-including those right here in our town. And while that might seem like a morbid pastime, these men were pioneers in local historic appreciation and preservation. (more…)
