Bridgeport Museum to Carry on Circus Legacy After Final Show

After May, children will no longer be able to see an institution in American family entertainment for nearly 150 years.

Feld Entertainment, which owns and operates Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, has decided to close the travelling show forever.

In explaining their decision, the owners are citing a decade of declining ticket sales, especially since getting rid of the elephants last year amidst pressure from animal rights groups.

“It was years ago when I first saw the circus and I was fortunate enough to be able to bring my daughter to the Barnum & Bailey circus about three years ago,” said Kelly Quick from Southington. “We’re sad because unfortunately, we were never able to bring our son to see it and I think he’s going to miss out.”

P.T. Barnum will always be remembered as the 19th century businessman, showman and entrepreneur who brought to life “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

“Connecticut owns P.T. Barnum, Bridgeport owns P.T, Barnum,” said Kathleen Maher, executive director of the Barnum Museum. “This is where Barnum’s heart and soul really was during the course of his life.”

At the Barnum Museum on Main Street in Bridgeport, there are artifacts from the history of the show and Barnum’s life.

“This wonderful piece, this wonderful top hat is actually P.T. Barnum’s wedding top hat from 1829,” Maher said, explaining the museum is creating a digital archive of all of its artifacts.

Maher showed NBC Connecticut a smaller top-hat, suit and boots that belonged to one of Barnum’s most renowned performers, Charles Stratton. He is better known as General Tom Thumb.

“He and Barnum collaborated when he was quite young to really create to Tom Thumb as the first major rock star, super star,” Maher said, “he met the Queen of England, Abraham Lincoln.”

Born in Bethel in 1810, Bridgeport became Barnum’s home.

“This is actually a model of Barnum’s first mansion in Bridgeport Connecticut,” Maher said, “it was called Iranistan.”

But that mansion burned down 10 years after being built.

The city of Hartford will never forget the 1944 circus fire that killed 168 people; 68 of them were children.

While Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey is putting on its final performance in May, the museum will continue its mission of teaching the next generations about the history of the show and its founding showman.

“Especially now with generations growing up they’re never going to be a part of it,” Quick said, “so this will be a good opportunity for them to see what it’s like.”

The restoration of the Barnum Museum building, which is a designated historical landmark, is still going on following the 2010 tornado that damaged it.

“The Greatest Show on Earth” will make a final stop in Connecticut. There are shows scheduled from April 27-30 at the XL Center in Hartford.

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