Mary K. Witkowski is a local writer, artist and historian who observed the landscape of history around her since she was a child in Detroit. An archivist/librarian and urban geographer/planner by training, the old factories of Detroit and Bridgeport and our historic landscape are fascinating to her.
Bridgeport, Connecticut is celebrating its 175th birthday as a city in 2011. In this blog, we will look at Bridgeport’s history and other landscapes of history to figure out what our ancestors have been trying to tell us!
Mary K. Witkowski is the current Bridgeport City Historian and the author of two books on the History of Bridgeport (Bridgeport Working and co-author with Bruce Williams of Bridgeport on the Sound) as well as many articles. Mary is currently in the Department Head of the Historical Collections and the co-team leader of the Reference and Research Team at the Bridgeport Public Library. We will explore the stories of the last 175 years of Bridgeport history…as well as other stories of history. What were our ancestors trying to tell us?
The Bridgeport Public Library’s Historical Collections is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2011. The Collection was founded in 1936 to celebrate the City of Bridgeport’s Centennial.
Myself and several friends from Bridgeport have been wracking our brains trying to remember the name of the boat that was docked near the railroad station downtown bridgeport in the early 80′s. it was a beautiful restaurant/bar and then it sailed away one night with no warning to new jersey, as i remember. can you help us?!
Comment by Lisa (Romo) Roberto — March 29th, 2010 @ 8:56 pm
From the information I get at the Bridgeport History Center at the Bridgeport Public Library, the restaurant was called the “Ferryboat Junction.” It was very popular. Why in the world did it disappear? Where is the boat today? I do not know….
Comment by Mary Witkowski — March 29th, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
Mary/Lisa:
Ferryboat Junction was the name of a (failed) redevelopment project at the old railroad station parking lot off Stratford Avenue.
The boat was the retired New York City ferryboat “Miss New York,” and was converted into a floating restaurant on the Pequonnock River. The business was a failure. The boat was towed away on a holiday weekend morning to Fort Lee, N.J. The boat later was scrapped.
Comment by jim callahan — April 15th, 2010 @ 7:12 pm
As my buddy Jim Callahan noted, Ferryboat Junction was the name of the restaurant aboard an old retired New York City ferryboat, the “Miss New York.” After the boat was hauled out of Bpt – allegedly for upgrades – it was docked in NJ just south of the GW Bridge in Edgewater, NJ. Later, it was bounced off a dock several times in a storm, creating a hole in its hull, and sank. For years its upperdecks and smoke stacks were visible from the West Side Hwy in NYC. Then, as Jim noted, it was cut up for scrap. And another chapter in the city’s history was closed.
Comment by John Gilmore — May 5th, 2010 @ 11:01 am
does anyone remember the name of the department store on Barnum Ave at Bpt Stratford line?
Comment by barb — October 29th, 2010 @ 8:12 am
Hello
My best friend tells me there was a dunkin donuts where the Bridgeport Hilton is located on Main Street. Was it dunkin donuts or another donut shop??
Please settle this
Thank You
Angie Morales
Comment by Angie Morales — December 28th, 2010 @ 2:55 pm
Do you have anything in regard to the Lindstrom Tool and Toy Mfg. Co? I am especially interested in the toy sewing machines they manufactured, their configurations and packaging. Are there perhaps any catalogs depicting the toys?
Comment by Ruth Schlemmer — January 27th, 2011 @ 10:27 am
yes we have a folder on the company…
contact me at mwitkowski@bridgeportpubliclibrary.org
Comment by Mary Witkowski — January 27th, 2011 @ 11:14 am