Barnum Museum Offering Virtual Exhibits During Building Restoration

BRIDGEPORT — The Barnum Museum has been completely closed to the public since January 2, 2011 in order to assess damage, begin the preservation of the collection and repair the building structure following tornado damage suffered in June 2010.

While none of the exhibits illustrating P.T. Barnum’s extraordinary business and personal accomplishments are open for in-person viewing, the museum is making a technological investment to have portions of the collection available online, so people interested in the life and times of P.T. Barnum can still have a virtual experience.

In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, The Barnum Museum has opened two unique online exhibitions, “Community Solidarity: Bridgeport during the American Civil War” and “Heroes of the Home Front: Life North of the Battlefield.” The exhibitions may be seen right now at BarnumMuseumExhibitions.org.

Thousands of men throughout the north were called to arms, and the citizens of Bridgeport and the surrounding region banded together to support the Union cause. Bridgeport’s large labor force, vital port and rail system enabled the city’s major manufacturers to increase production and distribution. “Community Solidarity” contains examples of Bridgeport’s role including the Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company, which was one of the most prominent suppliers of sewing machines for government-contract arsenals.

“The story of the war will never be fully or fairly written if the achievements of women in it are untold,” wrote author Frank Moore (Women of the War, 1866). The war movement stimulated the expansion of women’s roles in society and the industrial world.

“Heroes of the Home Front,” an award-winning exhibition curated by Kathy Maher in 1997, is now digitally presented at The Barnum Museum’s online exhibition. Artifacts and text explore the role of women in the Civil War and the unprecedented changes in their roles and responsibilities in the United States.

Currently, The Virtual Barnum Museum has five main exhibits: “Phineas Taylor Barnum” examines the life and times of the famous entertainer, “Humbugs & Curiosities” showcases some of the oddities that led to the creation of the American Museum and the Greatest Show on Earth, “Jumbo the Elephant” looks at one of the beloved animals in Barnum’s traveling menagerie, and “The Egyptian Exhibit: Pa-Ib” and “The Mummy and Modern Technology” each show how Barnum’s own mummy teaches us about past history and present science.