Barnum's American Museum in 1858

Barnum's American Museum was located at the corner of Broadway and Ann Street in New York City from 1841 to 1865. The museum was owned by famous showman P.T. Barnum and his partner and original owner, John Scudder. Prior to their partnership, the museum was known as Scudder's American Museum. The museum offered both strange, and educational attractions. The museum is also referenced in the broadway musical Barnum. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A view of Broadway in 1909 Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City. ... -Words of the song Ann Street by Charles Ives. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham, NYC, City That Never Sleeps, The Concrete Jungle, The City So Nice They Named It Twice Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1676 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Phineas Taylor Barnum (July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891), American showman who is best remembered for his entertaining hoaxes and for founding the circus that eventually became Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. ... Original cast recording Barnum is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical with book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman. ...

Attractions

The museum offered many attractions which grew to great fame. One of the most famous was General Tom Thumb a 25-inch tall dwarf. Thumb wasn't the only physical oddity there, there was also the Fiji Mermaid and Josephine Boisdechene, who had a large beard, which had grown to the length of two inches when she was only eight years old. As if to supplement Tom Thumb, another famous attraction of the museum was William Henry Johnson, who was one of Barnum's longest running attractions. Another one of the famous attractions at the museum were Chang and Eng, Siamese twins that were extremely argumentative, both with each other and Barnum himself. The wedding party comprised, from left to right: George Washington Morrison Nutt (1844–1881), Charles Sherwood Stratton (1838–1883), Lavinia Warren Stratton (1841–1919), Minnie Warren (1841–1878). ... P.T. Barnums Feejee mermaid from 1842 A common feature of sideshows, a Fiji mermaid (also Feejee mermaid) is a mummified body of something, supposedly a creature that was half mammal and half fish (like a grotesque version of normal mermaid stories). ... Josephine Clofullia (? - ?) was a Swiss-born bearded lady who toured with P. T. Barnums American Museum. Madame Clofullia was born Josephine Boisdechene in Switzerland. ... William Henry Johnson, AKA Zip the Pinhead Zip the Pinhead, born William Henry Johnson, (1857 Liberty Corners, New Jersey – April 28, 1926 New York, New York) was an American freak show performer famous for his oddly tapered head. ... A painting of Chang and Eng Bunker, circa 1836 Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811 _ January 17, 1874), born in Siam (now Thailand), to a Chinese father Ti-eye and Nok, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant and a native Cham mother, were the twin brothers whose... A painting of Chang and Eng Bunker, circa 1836 Conjoined human fetuses Conjoined twins can occur in non-human animal species. ...

Parts of the Museum

The five story building also served great educational value. Aside from the different attractions the Museum also promoted educational ends, including natural history in its menageries, aquarium (which featured a large white whale), and taxidermy exhibits; history in its paintings, wax figures (including one of Jesus Christ - slimtimrussucksmanass), and memorabilia; and temperance reform and Shakespearean dramas in its "Lecture Room" or theater. Binomial name Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) Beluga range This article is about the whale. ...

The Destruction of the Museum

On July 13th, 1865, the American Museum burned to the ground in one of the most spectacular fires New York has ever seen. Animals at the museum were seen jumping from the burning building, only to be shot by police officers. Barnum tried to open another museum soon after that, but that also burned down in a mysterious fire in 1868. It was after this time that Barnum moved onto politics and the circus industry. The Big Top of Billy Smarts Circus Cambridge 2004. ...

While some people were happy to see the museum die, the majority felt a major loss. Barnum's American Museum was one of the most popular attractions of its time.

References

• The Lost Museum Main Site-[1]
• American Treasures of the Library of Congress' entry on the museum- [2]