We are incredibly excited to host those among you who are planning to visit both us and the Barnum Museum on Tuesday, July 26th! To say that we have been preparing for this event for years is not an understatement, and we are thrilled to finally welcome you to the Bridgeport History Center. We know that many of you are traveling from far and away, and that while you are here in Bridgeport, you may wish to visit our archives and special collections either before or after the convention to do some research.
Due to a number of factors including the ongoing pandemic and limited staffing, the Bridgeport History Center operates by appointment only – including the days before and after the convention. If you wish to come and do research, we urge you to book your appointment through our appointment form now. You can read about what visiting the archives is like on this page.
Of course, much of our material is already online. This includes the P.T. Barnum Research Collection and our earliest circus posters, all available through the Connecticut Digital Archive. You may also read the finding aids for our other circus related collections that are available. You can also read our research guide on circus material here at the archives, which lists secondary resources in addition to our archival ones.
Thanks so much for understanding our needs, and we look forward to hosting you in July.
Warmest regards,
Bridgeport History Center staff