Bridgeport on the Sound (Images of America)

Located where the Pequonnock River empties into the Long Island Sound, Bridgeport became an important coastal city before land transportation was significant. It developed a thriving sea-based trade and industry, and with its proximity to New York City, invited visitors who were looking for excitement and people who were searching for a place to settle.

Bridgeport on the Sound portrays Bridgeport as not only an interesting and beautiful coastal city but also a historically significant one. By showing how the early inhabitants lived, worked, and played, it offers insight into how the past affects those connected with the city today. While coastal trade was booming, Bridgeport played an important role in the manufacture of wartime equipment during World Wars I and II. However, Bridgeport may be best known as the chosen hometown of America's greatest showman, P.T. Barnum, and as the site of a grand oceanfront park designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Mary K. Witkowski, head librarian and archivist of the Bridgeport Public Library's Historical Collections Department, and Bruce Williams, curator of the Dundon House Museum, are both members of the Bridgeport Community Historical Society. Using images from the library, the museum, and a number of other sources, they have created Bridgeport on the Sound to celebrate the city that they honor, respect, and call home: Bridgeport.