Collections : [Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library]

Originally called the College Club when it was founded in 1916, the American Association of University Women's Bridgeport chapter began with the goal to "promote literature and instill in high school girls the deeper significance of college life." Since then the chapter has gone on to support local education through scholarships, committee work, support of adult education, and providing community support, all while retaining the local character of the chapter. The collection focuses primarily on the group's early days into the 1970s and addresses the changing nature of education in an urban setting.

Founded by Arthur W. Burritt in 1893, the A.W. Burritt Company acted in two capacities: as a lumber mill that produced building supplies and as a real estate company that bought land and constructed on it. This highly active company was a major supplier of jobs in Bridgeport, and the material within spans the company's whole history.

The Barnum Museum building has gone through various incarnations since it was first opened in 1893. In the 1950s and 1960s, the museum collections were managed by Elizabeth Seeley (a Barnum descendent). Her organizational files represent a window into the museum's inner workings during that time period, just as it was turning into a recognizable version of the contemporary Barnum Museum.

The Brass Workers Federal Labor Union Local No. 24411 represented the workers of the Bridgeport Brass Company. In the collection are various agreements and constitutions that the two parties came to agree upon over a roughly twenty year span.

Operating from 1975 to about 1981, the Bridgeport Architecture Conservancy strove to help preserve Bridgeport's rich architectural history while still helping the city meet its downtown revitalization goals. The group helped to identify important buildings and areas, advocated for preservation, and networked with similar groups in the state.

The records of the Bridgeport Centennial Incorporated include subject files, a reading file of the managing director, and other items including photographs, oversize material, scrapbooks, and a financial ledger.

Began in 1904, the Bridgeport Dental Society acted as a sort of trade organization for city dentists. The material within charts the overall growth of dentistry as a profession, and evolving effort to have the public regard oral health with the same level they regard their overall physical health.

Older than the City of Bridgeport itself, the Bridgeport Ladies Charitable Society is one of the city's oldest continuing organizations, as well as one of the state's. The group began as a small collection of women sewing clothing and providing aid and has continued its mission ever since. Within this collection is a near continuous record of their activities from 1865 into the modern era.

The collection contains programs, ticket stubs, concert reviews, and research concerning the Society's termination in 1940.

The records of the Bridgeport Scientific Society represent an overview of the activities of the first tenants of the Barnum Institute of Science and History, today housing the Barnum Museum. It contains administrative information in the form of society minutes, documentation of collection acquisitions, and extensive documentation of the lectures hosted by the group.