{"id":1000,"date":"2011-02-15T20:08:20","date_gmt":"2011-02-16T01:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.fredib.com\/wordpress3\/?p=1000"},"modified":"2020-12-11T16:51:10","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T21:51:10","slug":"beardsley-park-and-zoo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bportlibrary.org\/hc\/fairfield-county\/beardsley-park-and-zoo\/","title":{"rendered":"Beardsley Park and Zoo"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Eric D. Lehman<\/p>\n

Wealthy cattle baron James W. Beardsley was watching children play outside one day when inspiration struck. He decided they deserved \u201ca place that would always be theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, in 1878 he donated to the city more than 100 acres of land at the north end of Bridgeport along the Pequonnock River, on the condition that it \u201cshall accept and keep the same forever as a public park.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beardsley Park was born.<\/p>\n

In 1881, famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who had previously designed the city’s successful Seaside Park, created a plan for a \u201cpastoral\u201d park, using the existing contours of land in what was called \u201crustic arrangements of boulder and parterre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, citizens relaxed on lawns shaded by European beeches and took dips in the wide expanse of Bunnell\u2019s Pond. A replica of William Shakespeare\u2019s home, the \u201cAnne Hathaway Cottage\u201d was built in the park on the 300th anniversary of the author\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

In the years in which Barnum and Bailey circus had its winter quarters in Bridgeport, animals like zebras, camels, and elephants were exercised in the park. This heralded the park\u2019s future, and in the year 1920, City Parks Commissioner Wesley Hayes began the process of creating a zoo.<\/p>\n

Beginning with exotic birds from local citizens and circus retirees from Barnum and Bailey, the zoo grew quickly.<\/p>\n

At first, it was a \u201cdrive-through\u201d zoo, where visitors could literally see the exhibits without leaving their cars.<\/p>\n

The city invested $50,000 to build a large greenhouse, and some animals stayed in its warm confines during the winter months. Soon, monkeys, leopards, and llamas joined more unusual animals like silver foxes and tree ducks.<\/p>\n

In 1997, the Connecticut Zoological Society bought the zoo from the city and runs it as a nonprofit institution. Today, it is still the only zoo in Connecticut, with one of the largest greenhouses and a rare carousel.<\/p>\n

Today, Beardsley Park remains a place of refreshment and relaxation for the city\u2019s residents. As designer Frederick Law Olmsted said, it is \u201cjust such a countryside as a family of good taste and healthy nature would resort to, if seeking a few hours complete relief from scenes associated with the wear and tear of ordinary town life.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statue of James Beardsley by Charles Henry Niehaus was erected in 1909 and remains at the entrance to the park, watching over the land he donated, land that will \u201calways be theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want to learn more about Beardsley Park and Zoo? The Bridgeport History Center has the following materials available:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n