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eautiful residence, "Iristan," an oriental
structure, entertaining" a thousand guests
at its opening. Next followed his engagement
of "the Swedish Nightingale," Jenny
Lind, who gave ninety-three concerts un-
der his direction, to the delight of all
hearers and to the great pecuniary profit
of both singer and manager. He was at
the same time continuing his museum,
and organized his "Great Asiatic Caravan,
Museum and Menagerie," which he fitted
out at an expense of $100,000 (an immense
sum in that day), and which he
continued for four years.
In 185 1 Mr. Barnum bought a large
portion of the Noble estate at Bridgeport,
Connecticut, and financed a clock com-
pany ;
its failure exhausted his fortune,
which he at once set out to replace. He
now again toured Europe, with General
Tom Thumb and another midget, Cor-
nelia Howard. During this time, in Scot-
land, England and Wales, he also devoted
himself to the lecture field, his subject
being "The Art of Making Money." In
i860 he built a new house in Bridgeport,
which he called "Lindencroft," in honor
of Jenny Lind, and from then on he was a
principal upbuilder and developer of the
city. In 1861-62 he procured for his New
York Museum two dwarfs, Commodore
Nutt and Lavinia Warren, both of whom
became as famous as Tom Thumb. In
1865 the museum burned down, entailing
a great loss ; he at once replaced it, and it
also met a like fate, these disasters and
the burning of his Bridgeport home en-
tailing a loss of about a million dollars.
In 1867 he sold "Lindencroft," at Bridgeport,
and built his "Waldermere" home,
abutting on Seaside Park, he giving to the
latter city, as an extension to the latter,
thirty-seven acres of land. In 1889 he
built "Marina," which was thereafter the
family residence.
When upwards of sixty years of age,
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
236
Mr. Barnum accomplished his masterwork,
the organization of "Barnum's
Greatest Show on Earth." A hundred
railroad cars were required for its trans-
poration, and its tents seated 25,000 peo-
ple. The venture was profitable from the
first and the enterprise is yet continued,
through Mr. Barnum's wise provisions,
under the management of capable men,
many of whom came to their vocation un-
der his leadership.
Mr. Barnum's exactness in what came to
be his profession was supplemented with
a remarkable versatility. He was a model
citizen, and Bridgeport during his forty-
five years' residence benefited largely
from his bounty and judicious publicspirit.
As mayor, he inaugurated many
improvements, laying out streets, plant-
ing hundreds of trees, building blocks of
houses, many of which he sold to me-
chanics on the installment plan, and aid-
ing parks, boulevards and public institu-
tions. He gave nearly $100,000 to Tufts
College for the establishment of the Barnum
Museum of Natural History, and a
large lot to the Fairfield County Histori-
cal Society, the Bridgeport Scientific Soci-
ety and the Medical Society, besides an
appropriate building thereon. In 1881 he
presented to Bethel, his native town, a
beautiful bronze fountain, made in Germany,
and at its dedication he delivered
an unimitable address, abounding with in-
cidents of his youth. As a member of the
General Assembly, for two terms, several
years apart, he made an enviable record.
Originally a Democrat, he allied himself
with the Republican party at its organi-
zation, and never departed from its faith.
Mr. Barnum was a facile, but a sparing
writer. In 1876 he wrote "The Adven-
tures of Lion Jack," a work of fiction,
founded upon facts, and dedicated to the
boys of America. His "Autobiography"
is without example, abounding in stories