Article on the Restoration of Barnum's New American Museum

     “Mr. Barnum is up and at the world again for contributions of the rare and curious with which to fill the shelves and saloons of a new fire-proof museum, the plans of which are in promotion.  An agent was sent by the last steamer to Europe to secure sundry noteworthy matters of which Mr. Greenwood reported some time since, and another will follow in the course of a fortnight.  The sympathy felt for Mr. Barnum throughout the country develops in many ways.  Letters are received from persons all over the country offering collections of coins, of shells, stuffed birds, Revolutionary relics and rebellion record curiosities.  General Scott has presented Mr. Barnum with a very unique collection of personal relics, which will be of great interest as years go on.  The fact is that the loss of the museum was a national calamity.  The mineralogical cabinets alone were of inestimable value, and can only be replaced by years of careful enterprise.  Yet if every family will send anything curious which they may have on hand, whether it be minerals, shells, stuffed birds or animals, artificial curiosities, relics of the Rebellion, the Revolutionary war, or anything that is historically curious.  Mr. Barnum will acknowledge its receipt, and the name of the donor will be conspicuously attached to it for all coming time – for the next museum will be fireproof, and will probably stand for ages.  We learn that one gentleman presented the new museum with one thousand rare and valuable shells on Saturday last, and that quite a number of specimens have already been sent in by various individuals.  It is only needful to call their attention to it to induce captains of vessels sailing to all parts of the world to bring home novelties in natural history to present to Mr. Barnum, and Americans abroad will be sure to bring or send home their contributions in the shape of something rare and valuable for this new institution.  We are assured that the Smithsonian Institute, the Philadelphia Academy Natural Sciences, and several other public collections in various cities will present such duplicates as they have to Mr. Barnum.  He needs this kind of help – material help in contributions.  He has money enough and to spare; but money cannot do everything, and the only way in which these collections can rapidly be made is by the spontaneous action of our people from Maine to California.

     Very few people have any idea of the capital required to start such an enterprise as Mr. Barnum proposes.  He calculates that the

    Cost of ground will be…………………………………………………… $400,000
    Cost of building……………………………………………………………250,000
    Cost of collection…………………………………………………………..150,000
                                            ---------
    Total………………………………………………………………………$800,000

     This is no small matter, and if Mr. Barnum carries out what he undertakes – and he has never yet failed to do it – it becomes a matter of pride and interest for this city and the entire community.  The museum will contain large halls of curiosities, a long saloon, with stage, for philosophic and scientific lectures and experiments, a polytechnic department, for the exhibition of working models of new inventions, a picture gallery, aquaria, immense theatre on the ground floor, where equestrian performances will be given three months each year in winter, pantomime three months in summer, and ‘high classed moral dramas and spectacles’ during the rest of the year.  On the roof will be placed the zoological gardens, containing animals of every nature, the whole covered with a well-ventilated story above the roof.  An elevator will be worked by a steam engine in the cellar, and the whole structure will be fire-proof.  This is but a faint outline of the new museum project of which Mr. Barnum is the sole proprietor.  Its success will depend greatly on the cordial co-operation of Americans at home and abroad, a co-operation which will doubtless be given heartily and intelligently.”