Collections : [Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library]

An English immigrant to Bridgeport, John D. Cooper's interest in aviation saw him become an employee of the Curtiss Aeroplane Company in 1910. He traveled primarily in Europe to both sell planes to governments and train their aviators, doing so for four years until 1914.

Collected by John Skutel, a private collector who placed his materials up for auction in 1989. The collection contains material related to P.T. Barnum and associates, which is heavily represented by the Bridgeport History Center's P.T. Barnum Research Collection (BHC-MSS 00001). Of note in the Skutel Collection is the original contract that signed M. Lavinia Warren to P.T. Barnum's management, and the original typescript of Warren's autobiography.

Joseph Felix Balogh was born on April 27, 1922 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Hungarian parents Jozef and Katalin Falkus. While he was born in the United States, the Balogh family chose to return to Hungary in 1932, remaining there until 1960. When he returned to Connecticut he acted as a bridge for many Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans through radio programs and his best-known work, the Magyar News whose full run is represented in this collection.

Founder of major Bridgeport institutions such as Harborfest and the Ocean Classroom, Joseph Caesar Cardozo was a remarkable educator and member of the Bridgeport community. Much of his work related to Bridgeport's maritime history and helped to strengthen ties and highlight the importance of Bridgeport's relation to Cape Verde.

This book is a hybrid sketchbook-scrapbook that contains many wonderfully detailed color and monotone watercolor, pen, and pencil depictions of encampment sites, battle scenes, landscapes, and buildings that were witnessed and unofficially recorded by Corporal Shadek during his tour of duty in the Burnside expedition through the Southeast (1861-1862). Each watercolor is carefully labeled with dates and place names so that the sketches themselves provide a chronicle of the Eighth Connecticut Volunteers, Company A's (8CV, Co. A) travels in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina.

The Bridgeport Commission on the Arts and the Bridgeport Arts Council were separate but similar entities that came out of a greater investment in arts education in the 1970s. They should not be confused with the Bridgeport Cultural Arts Center, although all three were a part of the same movement. The records of Judith Muniec provide insight into the organizations during their time of operation.

Over the years, the Bridgeport History Center has acquired material relating to the city's history of labor union organization. Some material came in as only one or two items, or has been located in the stacks over the years. In such cases, they have been placed in this collection and represent a large variety of material.

Featuring campaign material for mayoral, state, and national campaigns, this collection offers a snapshot of pressing issues for Bridgeporters in the mid-1980s. The material related to the mayoral primary and final campaign is of particular note thanks to the presence of Charles Tisdale's material including endorsements, material for Spanish speaking voters, and more.

Lyman Thunfors was born in Muskegon, Michigan and was an industrial executive best known for his time as the Executive Vice President at Jenkins Brothers. The collection contains photographs of the company in the mid-20th century along with some documents.

Within this collection are maps and blueprints related to various commercial and private properties managed by William W.B. Smith real estate. Of note are the commercial space plans for the Raybestos plant, Salt's Textile Mill, American Tube and Stamping Company, and the Underwood Corporation.