Collections : [Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library]

Maplewood Junior High School began its life in 1893 as an elementary school to replace the Old South Schoolhouse. It was constructed to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population at the end of the 19th Century, and acts as a microcosm of changes in the Bridgeport educational system from the 1890s to 1984.

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.

The papers outline the Willards' experiences as leaders of union locals, primarily those of the United Electrical Workers of America (UE). Workplaces represented concentrate for the most part manufacturing plants in Bridgeport, predominantly General Electric and Columbia Records. The materials contain practical union documents, such as minute meetings, newsletters, contract agreements, and financial records, along with local and national texts reflecting the conflicts between the UE and the International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE). Also included are publications from nationally-based pro-union journals as well as papers distributed by GE and the National Labor Relations Board.

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.

Biographical details about Lillian are scant, as the only information documented is in both this collection and her obituary. She was the last president of the Women's Auxiliary of the YMCA in Bridgeport. This collection reflects a snapshot of her life both through personal and YMCA related correspondence.

A Bridgeport resident for most of her life, Ella Fleck played a prominent figure in the city's philanthropy, support for US military ventures, and social reform. Prominent in the collection are materials related to the Minute Women organization, active in 1918. Other materials relate to the concurrent Bridgeport Woman's Committee of the National Defense, among other groups.

A selection of interviews taken from the "Bridgeport Working: Voices from the Twentieth Century" labor history website with complete audio and transcripts divided by subject and chapter for easy access to specific topics. Of particular interest for the CSL BIPOC Subject Guide Project are: Frank Bridgeforth, Edna Smith, Emmett Johnson, and Richard Fewell.

The Foresters of America (now Foresters Financial) were a fraternal society with an emphasis on providing for members when they were in ill health or when they died. Court Roma No. 153 served Bridgeport's Italian American community, and the records document the members of the organization and their activities.

The Grand Army of the Republic was one of the first war veteran's associations in the United States. Formed in the aftermath of the Civil War, the GAR was organized by state, and then by smaller local organizations. Elias Howe Jr. Post #3 was Bridgeport's branch of the GAR, and the material in this collection offers insight into the organization's local presence and relation to the national organization.

The Contemporary Club was a Bridgeport social group meeting from 1894 until 2015. Unlike multi-chapter organizations, such as the Rotary Club or Kiwanis International, the Contemporary Club was independent and local, hosting lectures and musical performances several times per year. These collections reflect the Club's costs and member composition, as well as the planning and content of its gatherings.