A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Part II, Part 14

Author: Orcutt, Samuel, 1824-1893
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: [New Haven, Conn.], [Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor]
Number of Pages: 904

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David M. Read, Esq., is serving his eleventh year as President and R. B. Lacey his tenth as Secretary. A large share of the real labor of the association devolves upon the officers and Mr. James Staples of the executive committee, and while a hearty cooperation is rendered by others, a large measure of the efficiency attributed to the Board is due to their efforts. In prosecuting its work a map of the city, with accompanying descriptions was published, but is now out of print. A reduced fac-simile has been secured for this book, and is herewith inserted.

P. T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth' has a home in Bridgeport, where it quietly rests about five months in each year. It is a collection resulting from the skill and experience of many years in this line of business, by Messrs. P. T. Barnum, J. A. Bailey, J. L. Hutchinson and others, as an instructive exhibition of trained animals and human beings. In the exhibitions made under one or other of these gentlemen during the last forty years there have been various specialties presented to the admiration and wonder

" The author is indebted to the Courier Printing Company, of Buffalo, N. Y., for the use of the full page illustrations, accompanying this article, which they use as publishers of "P. T. Barnum's Life, written by Himself."

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of the people, but during the last sixteen years the special- ties have culminated in one monster or mammoth show which defies delineation, and is only approximately repre- sented by the unequaled posters seen in large cities a month in advance of the progress of the exhibition itself. The buildings which provide " Winter Quarters " for the animals and carriages during the winter months, cover several acres of ground, and, instead of being unsightly and unwelcome, are so constructed and kept as to be rather picturesque and agreeable, and are welcomed by the people of the city. Mr. Barnum and his great show with their world-wide reputation, having been portrayed by a million or more copies of his book, "Struggles and Triumphs," as well as having been seen by tens of millions of people, need no eulogy nor publication in this book, but it is equally evident that any work purporting to be a history of Bridgeport, without a careful review of his life career, would be a mis- nomer, and unworthy to be read under such a title. As with all the actors on the present stage of life, so with Mr. Barnum, he will soon be known only to history, and any work of this character on Bridgeport that did not approx- imately represent the relations to it of the most celebrated man who ever lived in it-if not in America-would be a dishonor to its author and the citizens of the celebrated Park City. The difficulty of the task of making such a representation within the limited space possible, is appre- ciated by the present author, not for the want of any moral qualities in the subject-those being high above any ques- tion whatever-but because of the varied, unusual and almost marvelous relations of the subject to this city, as well as to the whole world for more than half a century ; relations made and effected by the most intensely active, energetic and successful life, clouded by such mammoth financial misfortunes under the highest moral rectitude as defy description, and would have crushed, seemingly, anybody but P. T. Barnum. His book-the autobiography -is well named, giving as it does the actual facts, "Strug- gles and Triumphs," but fortunately for him and the world it can be emphatically said, in the words of the often repeated announcement of a popular vote-the Triumphs "have it."

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PT Barnum

Bridgeport.

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Hon. P. T. Barnum was born in Bethel, Conn., July 5, 1810, and named Phineas Taylor Barnum by his mother's father, Phineas Taylor. Having passed his boyhood and youth, his start as a showman began in 1835 by the purchase and exhibition of Joyce Heth, a colored woman said to have been the nurse of Gen. George Washington and 161 years of age. His next venture was the exhibition of "Signor Anto- nio" and "a Mr. Roberts." In 1836, he connected himself with Aaron Turner's traveling circus, going south, and the year following he organized a new company and went west, reaching the Missouri river where he purchased a steamer and sailed down the river to New Orleans. There he sold his steamer for sugar and molasses and arrived at New York June 4th, 1838. The year 1840, he spent in the mercantile business, selling shoe blacking, and on a minstrel tour through the west, returning again to New York in the Spring of 1841. That year he bought the American Museum, and commenced a series of improvements by way of attrac- tive exhibitions. One of these was the model of Niagara Falls, illustrated with real water; another was the cele- brated mermaid, which in a short time became the topic for talk and joke, all over the United States; another was free music by a band at his museum, and the powerful Drum- mond Lights, which lighted Broadway as it had never been before. He introduced the Lecture Room, a reform of the stage or theater. Then were added paintings all over the museum and a zoological garden outside of the building. When crowds of people gathered on holidays, the cry of humbug was started, but this only made the people talk and go the more to the museum. Following these, came the baby shows, with premiums for the prettiest baby, or the fattest, or the most beautiful twins or triplets; and a free buffalo hunt in the Jerseys' a good joke for advertising. In 1843, came the Woolly Horse, a truly curious appearing animal but really a horse, followed by the Indians from the west, and then the purchase of Peale's Museum, a pretended rival institution, having a valuable collection of articles.

The museum now became almost a mania with Mr. Barnum. He was constantly searching for and obtaining

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something new, amusing or wonderful, and all the exhibi- tions he made were instructive to the people-moral and elevating. His methods of bringing his institution constantly before the minds of the people and the success thereby secured, first impressed the American mind with the advan- tages of advertising. His odd or striking, yet appropriate names, startled the people and kept them talking about his "Mermaid," "Woolly Horse," "Sea Lion," "Tom Thumb," and "What is it?" All over the country, the boys who never saw Barnum nor a ticket to his museum or show, learned these names, and laughed and joked about them, and then at the earliest opportunity, went to the show.

General Tom Thumb was secured for exhibition by Mr. Barnum in 1842. His first name was Charles S. Stratton, son of Sherwood E. Stratton of Bridgeport. He was very small, not two feet in height, weighed less than sixteen pounds, perfectly formed, bright-eyed, light haired, with ruddy cheeks, possessing the best of health, but exceedingly bashful. An engagement was made with his parents, and the child with the mother arrived at Mr. Barnum's Museum on Thanksgiving day, December 8, 1842, and he was announced on the museum bills as "General Tom Thumb." This name, like those of all the other specialties of Mr. Barnum, was the most fitting and captivating of any that could have been chosen. " What is in a name?" A hundred thousand dollars, sometimes. Great success attended the exhibition of Tom Thumb for nearly two years, and then on January 18, 1844, Mr. Barnum sailed with him and his parents for Liverpool, where, on arrival, the exhibitions were renewed. They went to London and soon to the presence of the Queen at Buck- ingham Palace, and afterwards two other visits were made to the same place by her royal commands. From London the party went to Paris where the General received great atten- tion and won golden crowns, in great numbers. He was invited to the presence of the King and Queen and the royal family, and his visits to King Louis Philippe, of France, were repeated twice by invitation. For the first day's exhibition to the general public in Paris, Mr. Barnum received 5,500 francs. The accompanying cut represents General Tom

ROYAL HONORS TO GENERAL TOM THUMB.

E. SEARS.

GENERAL TOM THUMB BEFORE QUEEN VICTORIA.

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Thumb in his carriage, occupying, by royal permission, a place in the avenue, reserved only for the Court and diplo- matic corps, on a great day of parade. The General's stay in Paris was a triumph rather than a success. From that place the party traveled through France and Belgium and back to England, where the profitable exhibition continued until the return to New York in February, 1847.

The General's father, on returning from England with a handsome fortune, placed a portion of it at interest for the General, and more for himself, and with thirty thousand dol- lars built a substantial dwelling on the corner of North avenue and Main street, at Bridgeport, where he resided until his decease.

After returning to America, Mr. Barnum made a tour with his little General through the United States and Cuba. It was during this tour in 1847-8 that he had his beautiful dwelling built at Bridgeport, which he called "Iranistan "- the word signifying " Oriental Villa;"-and on November 14, 1848, nearly one thousand invited guests were present at an old-fashioned "housewarming." It stood a little back from the northwest corner of the present Fairfield and Iran- istan avenues, and some years after it accidentally took fire and was consumed. This beautiful and very remarkable structure, built in Oriental style, was the first great boom for the celebrity of Bridgeport. The picture of it went over the country in the illustrated newspapers, as " a thing of beauty," a marvel of wonder, and an honor to all America. Mr. Barnum says in his book that he did not care to know "how much it did cost to build it," but as a fact it finally cost him nothing, since by it his museum receipts were probably enough more than to pay the cost. This picture was cut out of the newspapers, framed and hung in the houses, put in scrap books, and in many ways preserved and admired by the people all over the country.

The Jenny Lind enterprise was the next great undertak- ing of Mr. Barnum. It was conceived by him in October, 1849, the engagement made with the great singer January 9, 1850, by which $187,500 were to be deposited by Mr. Barnum in advance of all proceedings, and which was done, Miss

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Lind arrived in New York September 1, 1850, and the first concert occurred September 11 following, the proceeds of which amounted to $17,864.05.' Ninety-three concerts were given under Mr. Barnum's contract, terminating in May, 1851, the receipts for which amounted to $712,161.34. It was the greatest project of the kind ever introduced into America, unto that day, and probably to the present, unless it be " Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth ;" and was successfully, even grandly carried through. Such was the immense cele- brity of the enterprise and the singer that it was Jenny Lind everything :- the clothes worn, the food eaten, the songs sang, the carriages the people rode in-everything of any particular consequence offered for sale, or elegant at home, had the name Jenny Lind; the only secondary thing in America, was P. T. Barnum.

During this time the American Museum was running finely, with Tom Thumb in attendance, and many other entertainments added every year.

After fitting out his "Great Asiatic Caravan, Museum and Menagerie," at an expense of over $100,000, and exhibit- ing it four years, Mr. Barnum sold the same, excepting one elephant, which he brought to Bridgeport and used for ploughing on his farm land at this place. This ploughing was done precisely on the old Indian field, where the Indians had for scores of years planted their corn before a white man's face had been seen by them ; along close to the side of the railroad. The elephant, as well as his keeper, in Turkish dress, were regularly at work with the plough while the rail- road trains were passing, at other times they had occasion to rest or tie-up at the barn. Soon this great agricultural enter- prise appeared in the papers and went the entire rounds of the press in this country and very much in Europe. Hund- reds of people came many miles to witness the spectacle, and hundreds of letters came, with the questions : "Is the ele- phant a profitable agricultural animal? How much can he plough in a day? How much can he draw? How much

" The accompanying illustrations-the portrait of Jenny Lind and her appear- ance at Castle Garden-are secured from A. Nichols & Co., of Springfield, Mass., the publishers of the work entitled "Our First Century."

JENNY LIND AT CASTLE GARDEN.

BARNUM'S ELEPHANT PLOUGHING IN 1855.

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does he eat? What is the price of an elephant? Where can elephants be purchased?" For a long time, but few persons suspected that the ploughing was all done for the American Museum on Broadway in New York.

But the illustrated papers were full of the pictures of Barnum's elephant ploughing at Bridgeport, and thousands of people became familiar with that representation of this city.

In 1851, Mr. Barnum purchased of Mr. William H. Noble of Bridgeport, the undivided half of his late father's estate, consisting of fifty acres of land lying on the east side of the river, opposite the city of Bridgeport. They intended this as the nucleus of a new city, which they concluded could soon be built, in consequence of the many natural advantages it possessed. In view of securing this end a clock company in which Mr. Barnum was a stockholder was prevailed upon to transfer its establishment from the town of Litchfield to this new city. In addition to this it was proposed to transfer the entire business of the Jerome Clock Company, of New Haven, to East Bridgeport, and for this purpose Mr. Barnum lent that company money and notes to the amount of $110,- 000, with the positive assurance that this would be the fartherest extent of the company's call on him, but by pecu- liar management by the company they soon had Mr. Barnum involved to the amount of over half a million dollars. Then they failed, and after absorbing all of Mr. Barnum's fortune they paid but from twelve to fifteen per cent. of the company's obligations, while, in the end, they never removed to East Bridgeport, although this was the sole reason why Mr. Barnum was prompted to lend a dollar to their rotten con- cern. Mr. Barnum's extrication of himself from this gulf of obligation by paying such a per centage on the whole as could be met by the sale of all his property at the time was a financial feat of the highest genius, energy and honor.

Early in 1857, Mr. Barnum again went to Europe, taking with him General Tom Thumb, and also little Cordelia Howard and her parents, and traveled through England, Germany and Holland, experiencing with his little folks a most cordial and enthusiastical greeting all the way. Dur-

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ing which time he amused himself (!) by remitting money as fast as secured, to pay the claims of the creditors of the abominable old clock company.

Not long after his return to New York, another great calamity befell him, as also Bridgeport and America, in the burning of the marvelously beautiful Iranistan, in December, 1857, the only building in this peculiar style of architecture of any pretensions in America. Many persons, every year, some from a great distance, visited Bridgeport to see this celebrated building and home of the great showman. Some workmen had been repairing it for some weeks, and it was supposed to have taken fire from a lighted pipe left in the dome of the building.

Early in 1858, Mr. Barnum returned to England, taking Tom Thumb, and with some help to manage the exhibition through Scotland and Wales, as well as elsewhere, he devoted himself to the "lecture field," taking for his theme " The Art of Making money," and by it he made money, hand over hand, and sent it home to apply on the clock enterprise. In 1859 he returned to the United States, and pushing on his museum found himself in 1860 within $20,000 of extinguish- ing the last claim from the old clock business. This he pro- vided for and resumed the full control of his old museum.

In 1860 he built a new house in Bridgeport on Fairfield avenue about one hundred rods west of the site of Iranistan which was named Lindencroft, in honor of Jenny Lind, and gave his attention anew to the building of his pet city, East Bridgeport. This had already made great progress. In 1856, the Wheeler and Wilson Sewing Machine Company had purchased the old clock shop, greatly enlarged it, and were employing something like a thousand hands. Churches, dwellings, and other manufactories, including that of the Howe Sewing Machine Company, had been built and the place had become quite a city. It now constitutes a large proportion of the city of Bridgeport, and is rapidly growing by the erec- tion of elegant dwellings, large churches, and immense manu- factories.

From 1860, to the present time, Mr. Barnum, although en- gaged with the New York Museum for years, and since that,

MARRIAGE OF GENERAL TOM THUMB AND MISS LAVINIA WARREN.

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with his great show, has not ceased to give much attention and energetic effort to the building, prosperity and success of the city of Bridgeport, and like others has made money by the growth of the city in the increase of the value of property. This growth has not been an accident resulting particularly from natural causes, but because Mr. Barnum and many other citizens, particularly such men as Nathaniel Wheeler, William H. Noble, Elias Howe, Jr., and many others determined, at the expense of great effort and much money, to make it grow; and more recently this effort has been combined under the control of the Bridgeport Board of Trade with very great success. The increase of manufacturing enterprises in the city since the organization of this Board has been surprising to all the people.

In 1861, Mr. Barnum introduced into his museum Com- modore Nutt, a dwarf, of most perfect form and bright intel- lect; and in consequence of whom there was another great run of visitors at the museum.

Then in 1862, he secured another dwarf in the person of a most perfectly formed, well educated young lady, Miss Lavinia Warren. This young lady and the then celebrated citizen of Bridgeport, General Tom Thumb, became inter- ested in each other-a genuine love-match-and were mar- ried in Grace Church, New York City, on February 10, 1863, creating a most remarkable sensation throughout America and Europe, and during their lives thereafter the appearances were that they were among the happiest of married people in the United States.

General Tom Thumb-or more correctly, Charles S. Stratton-was a native of Bridgeport-his ancestors having resided within this territory over a hundred years-and after his marriage he and his wife continued the exhibition life to which they both had been introduced by Mr. Barnum. They traveled over the civilized world, were successful in accumu- lating money, established a beautiful home in Middleboro, Mass., where he died July 15, 1883, in the 46th year of his age, and was buried in Bridgeport. His was a remarkable life. He became a good business manager ; took care of his own money, and was wealthy at his decease.

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On the 13th day of July, 1865, the American Museum in New York was burned, with great loss; but Mr. Barnum built another, which was also burned on March 3, 1868. Therefore about a million dollars worth of Mr. Barnum's prop- erty in one dwelling and two museums, had been destroyed by fire.

In 1867 he sold his home, Lindencroft, on Fairfield avenue, and removed to the locality where he now resides, where, in 1868 he commenced the erection of his present residence, which was completed the next year. This he named Walde- mere, the word meaning "Woods-by-the-sea." When he purchased this land, it lay adjoining the west end of Seaside Park - being a considerable portion of an old farm-and extended from Atlantic street to the shore of the Sound. Be- lieving as he did then that Seaside Park would be of very great advantage to the people of the city, he gave seven acres lying in front of his residence, extending to the shore and from near the old Division street line to what is now Iranistan avenue to the city for enlargement of the park. This portion of the park is now largely occupied by the " Trotting Course." In 1884, he gave thirty acres more, ex- tending the park westward toward Black Rock harbor. The park is ornamented conspicuously by his residence, and a number of others, on its northern border, and it is also true that the residences are ornamented by the park.'

In the autumn of 1870, Mr. Barnum commenced prepara- tion for a great show and enterprise, comprising a museum, menagerie, caravan, hippodrome and circus, and to this show he has devoted a great proportion of his untiring energies since that day, and which he calls "The Greatest Show on Earth," and in this name as well as many others his genius seems to have hit the mark.

Mr. Barnum's "Show" opens for a few weeks every spring in the large Madison Square Garden, in New York, and during each summer it visits the principal cities in the

" It should be stated that, whoever originated the idea of the park, it was Mr. Barnum that first moved in the matter to have the work done. He caused the article on the subject to be written for the "Standard " on October 1, 1863 ; and he gave at first one thousand dollars for beginning the improvements ; and hence some statements on page 797 of this book on this subject are erroneous.

WALDEMERE, ERECTED IN 1868 AND 69.

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United States and Canadas, from Quebec and Montreal on the East to Omaha in Nebraska, West; exhibiting under im- mense tents in one of which can be seated 20,000 persons. It consists of a large menagerie of rare wild beasts, a museum of human phenomena and living specimens of savage and strange tribes and nations, including without regard to cost everything rare and marvelous which the wealth, energy and perseverance, and half a century's experience as a public manager could gather. Much of this is accomplished by his agents who traverse nearly every part of the globe; some- times expending as much as $200,000 in a single year. Added to this is his reproduction of the ancient Roman Hippodrome with its chariot and other races, and various descriptions of equestrian and athletic performances, by Japanese, Chinese, Arabs and other nations.

The " Ethnological Congress" of this show contained the greatest collection of different types of strange and savage tribes, gathered from the remotest corners of the earth ever seen together. Among them were Nubian warriors, Australian Cannibals, Boomerang Casters, fierce Afghans, devotional Burmese, Syrians, Aztecs, Malays, Nautch danc- ing girls from India, Hottentots, Caffres, Hindoos, Patago- nians, Bushmen, high and low caste Indians, Asiatics, dwarfs from India, giants from China, Todas people from the Niliqui mountains of India, Guatemalians, wild Zulus, Quiche people, Hungarian Gypsies, Sioux Indians, Siamese, Hawaian Island- ers, Ceylonese, and a dozen other types, numbering in all 200 men, women and children, arrayed in the costumes of their various countries. Among them were worshipers of Bud- dha, of Mahomet, of Joss, of idols, and of the Sun. Some of them would eat no meat, others would slay and drink the blood of animals and cook the carcass. Still others con- sidered roasted snakes, lizards, and dried worms and insects the most delicate food.

The great elephant, Jumbo, purchased by Mr. Barnum from the Royal Zoological Garden in London, being the largest land animal seen for centuries, and 40 other African and Indian elephants, including two baby elephants, one of which was born in Bridgeport, Conn., and named Bridgeport -the only elephant ever born in captivity-these and scores

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of trained animals transported on nearly a hundred railway cars belonging to Mr. Barnum, created an expense of $5,000 to $6,000 each day, and brought in over a million dollars in a single season.

Mr. Barnum has taken three experienced partners, Messrs. W. W. Cole, J. C. Hutchinson and J. E. Cooper. The con- tract of copartnership extends to 1899, and arrangements are made for its continuance after that time by their successors.

Another item of Mr. Barnum's business is book making and selling. Each year he adds an appendix to his Autobi- ography, and sells the books, under the tents to his show pat- rons only, at the exact cost-fifty cents-but at the book stores it sells for one dollar. It has over 350 pages, 40 full page illus- trations, well bound, is printed in editions of 20,000 copies, and over a million copies have been sold. It has been printed in London, Paris, and Leipzig in Germany.

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A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Part II, Part 14

Author: Orcutt, Samuel, 1824-1893 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: [New Haven, Conn.], [Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor] Number of Pages: 904

Author: Orcutt, Samuel, 1824-1893
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: [New Haven, Conn.], [Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor]
Number of Pages: 904