It may be true that “there’s a sucker born every minute,” but if you believe that P. T. Barnum originally said that, you might be one yourself. The colorful Big Top ringmaster almost certainly never said the famous phrase, which was attributed to him by a vengeful newspaper columnist.

And that’s only the beginning of the revelations at the fun and quirky Barnum Museum (820 Main St., Bridgeport, 203/331-1104, www.barnum-museum.org, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Tues.–Sat.; noon–4:30 p.m. Sun., $7 adults, $5 students and seniors, $4 children 4–17, free for members and children under 4) celebrating the life of one of the most out-sized characters of the 19th century. Phineas Taylor Barnum wasn’t only a circus master—in his long and varied career, he was a journalist, museum owner, and even mayor of Bridgeport.

The Romanesque castle-like Barnum Museum now holds the collection of Victorian historical and scientific items that Barnum helped collect when he bequeathed funds to the city in 1891. The most interesting exhibits, of course, are those relating to Barnum and his Big Top career, including a scale model of his famous “Three-Ring Circus,” a 700-pound stuffed elephant, and displays relating to circus performers like Tom Thumb and Jenny Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale.” It may just be the “Greatest Show on Earth,” and if you believe that… well, you know.