Commems Collection Classic: 1936 Bridgeport Centennial - A Brief Look At The Centennial

The Bridgeport Centennial committee was formed in December 1935 to develop celebration plans for the city's looming (1936) 100th anniversary of incorporation. The committee consisted of ~60 members and was chaired by Edward T. Buckingham, the immediate former Mayor of Bridgeport (1929-1933). The group moved quickly, as by January 14, 1936, it had prepared a list of celebration suggestions that was presented to an Executive Committee formed by Bridgeport's then-current Mayor, Jasper McLevy.

The Executive Committee approved the suggestions presented and also decided to incorporate - hence, the familiar Bridgeport Centennial, Inc.

Bridgeport celebrated its centennial with, among other events, the Bridgeport Centennial Exposition that was held in three Remington Arms Munitions Factory buildings from May 15 through May 23; a Centennial Historical Pageant - "Echoes of a Century" - in July and a Labor Day parade (September) that included floats representing Bridgeport's industries, civic institutions and local commerce plus those from neighboring towns/cities.

Also during the Centennial year, the City of Bridgeport opened the Barnum Museum in a building originally constructed by PT Barnum (it's a museum that features exhibits about PT Barnum and Bridgeport's history) and Bridgeport Centennial, Inc. dedicated an eight-foot tall, granite monument to the Centennial in Clinton Park Militia Ground (a small city park within Bridgeport). Note: As I write this. the Barnum Museum is currently closed for renovations.

Side Note: Bridgeport had a short-lived "scare" in March 1936 that reportedly caused it to briefly pause its Centennial events when one of its Committee members claimed to have "discovered" that Bridgeport was incorporated in 1846 vs. 1836. This was quickly shown to be incorrect, however, after review of Bridgeport's Act of Incorporation which dated to May 1836.

Bridgeport Centennial, Inc. essentially closed down in October 1936 with the last of the city's Centennial events completed; the dedication of the monument was the last official event. Its commemorative half dollar and its book, The Story of Bridgeport continued to be sold, however, in limited numbers. Between December 1937 and April 1938, the organization donated its remaining cash (~$3,000) to the Bridgeport library - along with ~13,000 copies of its The Story of Bridgeport book - and handed over the commemorative coins that remained in its inventory to the Community Chest. On April 26, 1938, Bridgeport Centennial, Inc. officially dissolved.

Less-than-stellar Side Note: In 1936, the Bridgeport Board of Education banned three books from its high schools: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. The Board stated that the books were "unfit to be read by students in high school" due to their "objectionable moral content being forced upon Catholic children." It's always a sad state of affairs when classics of literature are banned out of ignorance and/or fear - at least IMO.

1936 Bridgeport, CT Centennial Half Dollar


Front Cover of "Echoes of a Century" Pageant Program




For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other Bridgeport half dollar stories, see: Commems Collection.