Collections : [Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library]

Sprague Gas Meter Company was a manufacturing firm headquartered in Bridgeport, Connecticut and founded in 1900. Over the next 85 years, it developed meters featuring new methods for measuring and dispensing gas, along with many other technologically-novel products geared toward industrial machinery, home security, cooking and defense, made and stored within plants located across the U.S. and abroad. Sprague was bought out by the diversifying corporation Textron in 1961 and then sold to a firm concentrating on oil and semiconductor production in 1985, when it left Bridgeport. This collection consists of newspaper articles, advertisements and catalogs, usage and repair guides, factory newsletters, convention materials, newsletters, photographs, and oral histories.

In 1849, the Bridgeport Protestant Widows Society was founded with the intent of providing charity and support to widowed members of the Protestant denominations in Bridgeport. The Sterling Home was administerd by them and went on to provide housing for widows without anywhere else to go, along with communal support through the grieving process. Within the collection are minutes, financial documents, and reports that provide insight into the administrative elements that ran the Sterling Home until it shut down in 1992. The Sterling Home is now a part of FSW Inc.

Unlike United Steelworkers of America Local 7528, Local 5623 dealt exclusively with the Jenkins Brothers, a valve and steel manufacturer. The material within the collection provides a snapshot of the work done by the union on behalf of its members.

Individual branches of the United Way work within local communities to meet their needs. Within this collection are examples of allocation work done by the United East of Eastern Fairfield County to meet Bridgeport's needs in the late 1970s.

The Urban Coalition of Greater Bridgeport Inc. was founded in 1968. Its formation was in response to the ongoing racial turmoil in the United States at the time, and modeled on and in partnership with the National Urban Coalition. The coalition's goal was to provide communication and interaction between residents, the region, business, and government, all while acting independently. To meet Bridgeport's specific needs, there was a strong focus on education, housing, and police-community relations.

Originally built in 1807 by Abisha Woodward, the Black Rock Harbor Light, also known as Fayerweather Light, is one of the iconic buildings of Bridgeport. The records of the light which run from 1873 to 1933 give insight into day-to-day operations of the light from the tenure of Stephen and Catherine Moore to the last official keeper, John D. Davis.

Capturing the seafaring trade of Fairfield County, this collection from the U.S. Customs House represents some of the earliest material held by the Bridgeport History Center. The various licenses and accounts provide a year-by-year look into trade conducted along the Long Island Sound.

One of the biggest manufacturers in Bridgeport, the Warner Corset Company,later the Warner Brothers Company, then Warnaco, was a major part of the city's industrial history. Starting with Dr. Warner's Health Corsets the company expanded, manufacturing corsets and then bras and other undergarments such as girdles, later branded as slimwear. The company left Bridgeport in the 1970s. It remained in existence until 2013, when it was bought out by PVH. This archival collection documents the early history of the company into the 1970s through family papers, corporate documents, daily operations, garment construction information, and extensive advertising material, all donated by Warnaco.

Starting in the 1940s and continuing into the 1950s, the Warner Brothers Company held annual banquets to honor the employees that had been with the company for 20 years. An unknown company compiler created several scrapbooks documenting the event.

Founded in 1896, the Wednesday Afternoon Musical Club is one of the oldest clubs of its kind both within Connecticut and the larger United States. The club was founded with the explicit goals of fostering the musical talent of members, conducting outreach to instill residents of Bridgeport and the surrounding area with a greater appreciation of music, and encouraging performance.