Place:Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Bridgeport is the most populous city in Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area. The city is part of the Greater New York City Combined Statistical Area and the fifth largest city in New England (behind Boston, Worcester, Providence and Springfield.) Bridgeport is the center of the 48th largest urban area in the United States, just behind Hartford (47th). Other than Black Rock and parts of Brooklawn which were originally part of the township of Fairfield, Bridgeport was originally a part of the township of Stratford.

The first English settlement on the west bank of the mouth of the Pequonnock River was made somewhere between 1639 and 1665 and was called Pequonnock.^[1] The village was renamed Newfield sometime before 1777. More people settled further inland and to the West and the area officially became known as Stratfield in 1701, likely due to its location between the already existing towns of Stratford and Fairfield. During the American Revolution, Bridgeport was a center of privateering. In 1800, Newfield village was chartered as the borough of Bridgeport, and in 1821 the township of Bridgeport, including more of Stratfield, was incorporated. Bridgeport was chartered as a city in 1836.

The circus-promoter and former mayor P.T. Barnum, is a famous resident of the city. Barnum built three houses in the city, and housed his circus in town during winters. The city is home to the first Subway Restaurant, opened in the North End section of the city in 1965. The city was home to the Frisbie Pie Company, and it is claimed that Bridgeport is the birthplace of the frisbee.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Early years

Bridgeport's early years were marked by residents' reliance on fishing and farming. The city's location on the deep Newfield Harbor fostered a boom in shipbuilding and whaling in the mid-19th century, especially after the opening of a railroad to the city in 1840.

The city rapidly industrialized in the late-19th century, when it became a manufacturing center. It produced such goods as the famous Bridgeport milling machine, brass fittings, carriages, sewing machines, brassieres, saddles, and ammunition. Bridgeport annexed the village of Black Rock and its busy harbor in 1870.

Abraham Lincoln's visit

On Saturday, March 10, 1860, Abraham Lincoln spoke in the city's Washington Hall, an auditorium at the old Bridgeport City Hall (now McLevy Hall), at the corner of State and Broad streets. Not only was the largest room in the city packed, but a crowd formed outside as well. Lincoln received a standing ovation before taking the 9:07 p.m. train that night back to Manhattan. A plaque marks the site where Lincoln spoke. Other notables who have given speeches in Bridgeport include Martin Luther King, Jr. who spoke three times at the Klein Auditorium in the 1960s;President Obama also spoke at the Harbor Yard arena in 2010 to gain support for the current running democratic Governor Dan Malloy. and President George W. Bush who spoke before a small, selected group of Connecticut business people and officials at the Playhouse on the Green, just across the street from McLevy Hall, in 2006.

Industrialization and labor history

Industrialization started taking place in the mid-19th century. Famous factories included Wheeler & Wilson, which produced sewing machines and exported them throughout the world, and the Locomobile Company of America, builder of one of the premier automobiles in the early years of the century.

In the summer of 1915, amid increased labor demand for World War I, a series of strikes demanding the eight-hour day began in Bridgeport. They were so successful that they spread throughout the Northeast.

By 1930, Bridgeport was a thriving industrial center with more than 500 factories. Since the late 19th century, its industrial jobs had attracted the most recent immigrants: Irish, Italians and eastern Europeans. The build-up to World War II further helped its industries.

Columbia Records primary pressing plant was located in Bridgeport, which manufacturered the Columbia, OKeh (after 1926), as well as their dime store labels (Harmony, Velvet Tone, Diva and Clarion).

Deindustrialization

Restructuring of heavy industry starting after the mid-20th century caused the loss of thousands of jobs and residents. Like other urban centers in Connecticut, Bridgeport suffered during the deindustrialization of the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. Suburban flight as well as overall mismanagement, for which several city officials were convicted, contributed to the decline.

In September 1978, Bridgeport teachers went on a 19-day strike due to deadlocked contract negotiations. A court order, as well as state law that made strikes illegal in Connecticut, resulted in 274 teachers being arrested and jailed.

Like other northeastern cities suffering from the effects of Post World War II industrial decline, Bridgeport made numerous efforts at revitalization. In one proposal Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn was to build a large casino, but that project failed to materialize. In 1991, the city filed for bankruptcy protection but was declared solvent by a federal court.

Twenty-first century

In the early 21st century, Bridgeport is a city that despite the longtime burdens of crime, poverty and corruption has taken steps toward redevelopment of its downtown and other neighborhoods. In 2004, artists' lofts in the former Read's Department Store on Broad Street first became available. Several other rental conversions have been completed, including the 117 unit Citytrust bank building on Main Street. The recession has halted, at least temporarily, two major mixed-use projects including a $1 billion waterfront development at Steel Point, but other redevelopment projects have proceeded, albeit slowly, such as the condominium conversion project in Bijou Square. In 2009, the City Council approved a new master plan for development designed both to promote redevelopment in selected areas and to protect existing residential neighborhoods. In 2010, the Bridgeport Housing Authority and a local health center announced plans to build a $20 million medical and housing complex at Albion Street, making use of federal stimulus funds and designed to replace some of the housing lost with the demolition of Father Panik Village.

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