Collections : [Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library]

Due to Bridgeport's status as the adopted hometown of P.T. Barnum as well as the legacy of the Barnum and Bailey Winter Quarters, the Bridgeport History Center has actively collected circus related material through the years. The material in this collection represents individual acquisitions of handbills, programs, and the like, arranged in an artificial collection.

The William Collection of Circus Photographs featured a wide array of images from mostly the 1940s to 1970s, documenting circus life. It shows not only animal and human performers, but features behind the scenes images that give a greater view into what life was like for those who traveled with the group every year.

As a major repository for P.T. Barnum related material, the Bridgeport History Center has amassed a large collection of circus material. This has included amassing circus route books, which list the performance locations and show details for each show in a given year.

Bridgeport is primarily known for its manufacturing role during World War II. This is thanks to the number of industries that mobilized during the war. The Air Raid and Civilian Defense Councils helped respond and keep the home front safe. In the Cold War, the Civilian Defense Council remained in place to help the city's residents prepare for the fallout of a nuclear attack or other invasion from the USSR.

Collected by the Bridgeport History Center over the years, the Civil War Collection is home to small ephemeral pieces of material, manuscripts that total 1 or 2 folders, and like material. The material within helps to document the experiences of Bridgeport residents during the war and their interest in the war after it concluded.

The Connecticut Post has its origins in two newspapers: the morning edition Bridgeport Telegram and the evening edition Bridgeport Post. Prior to extensive news on the television, a morning and evening paper were not uncommon in most major cities. The material within this collection reflects the political events on a local and national scale as featured in the Post during the 1970s and 1980s.

This collection, belonging to the International Brotherhood of Longshoreman local 1398 member Constantino Pietrini, features select agreements and contracts negotiated by the union and earlier material from the Seafarers International Union strike.

Featuring materials saved from his family's company, the David E. Bullard Collection of Bullard Company Materials represents a small insight into the Bullard Machine Tool Company's operations. Of particular note are the maps and patents present in the collection,

Collection features interviews and digital media captured from the internet or digital files donated by three distinct, activist organizations in Bridgeport: Justice for Jayson, an organization formed in response to a police shooting; Bridgeport Generation Now, a nonpartisan, grassroots social action network focused on civic action; and P.T. Partners, a group of residents of the P.T. Barnum low income housing complex that organizes for self-determination and against racism and oppression.

Frank Borres is a Connecticut-based multi-Emmy award winning television producer, filmmaker, and 40-time Emmy nominee. The materials within this collection relate to the series "Remember When - Fairfield County" produced in the 1990s. It highlights local events in living memory, and features interviews with Bridgeport mayor Bill Finch and former Bridgeport History Center head archivist Mary Witkowski among others.