The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a competitive grant to the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport. The grant will be used to help begin the museum’s effort to digitize its collection, which includes documents, photographs, letters, rare books, posters, and other artifacts pertaining to the life and career of P.T. Barnum.
The Barnum Museum receives requests from all over the world for information about Barnum’s career. Historians and librarians will use the NEH grant to plan how to best digitize the collection and help share the collection online. It’s a great opportunity for the museum to help spread the word about a remarkable historical figure from southwestern Connecticut.
Barnum, the great American showman, was born in Bethel, and lived much of his life in Bridgeport. He served as the Park City’s mayor and was a Connecticut state legislator. He even ran for Congress for Connecticut’s Fourth District in 1876, losing the race to his third cousin, William Barnum.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency that “serves and strengthens our republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans.” Thanks to the digitization of the Barnum Museum collection, more people will be able to experience the history of an American icon, P.T. Barnum.
