Mystic Seaport

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Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Logo.png
Mystic Shipyard aerial by Don Ramey Logan.jpg
View from the Mystic River Estuary
Mystic Seaport
Established1932
Location Mystic, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°21′41″N71°57′52″W / 41.36139°N 71.96444°W / 41.36139; -71.96444
TypeHistory Museum
Collection sizesailing ships and boats
CuratorPaul O'Pecko
Public transit accessAiga bus trans.svg SEAT: 10
Website www.mysticseaport.org

Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. [1] It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the crafts and fabric of an entire 19th-century seaport village. It consists of more than 60 historic buildings, most of them rare commercial structures moved to the 19-acre (0.077 km2) site and meticulously restored. [2]

Contents

Overview

The museum was established in 1929 as the "Marine Historical Association". Its fame came with the acquisition of the Charles W. Morgan in 1941, the only surviving wooden whaling ship. The Seaport was one of the first living history museums in the United States, with a collection of buildings and craftsmen to show how people lived; it now receives about 250,000 visitors each year. [2]

The Seaport supports research via an extensive library [3] and runs the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies, a summer graduate-level academic program established in 1955 by maritime history professor Robert G. Albion of Harvard University. [4] The museum also hosts Williams–Mystic in conjunction with Williams College, an undergraduate program in maritime studies. [5] Outreach includes sailing and history classes for area children. [6] [7]

Grounds and programs

Street in Mystic Seaport, masts of Charles W. Morgan in background Mystic Seaport-500px.jpg
Street in Mystic Seaport, masts of Charles W. Morgan in background

The Preservation Shipyard is an important part of the museum, where traditional tools and techniques are used to preserve the Museum's collection of historic vessels, [8] including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. A replica of the slave ship La Amistad was constructed in the shipyard and launched in 2000. [9] Amistad departed New Haven on June 21, 2007 on a 14,000 mile transatlantic voyage to Great Britain, Lisbon, West Africa, and the Caribbean, marking the Atlantic trade and slave route to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the end of the slave trade in Great Britain. [10]

The 19th-century seafaring village contains nearly all the types of general and specialized trades associated with building and operating a sailing fleet. They include a chandlery, sail loft, ropewalk, cooperage, shipping agent's office, printing office, bank, and others. Also included is The Spouter Tavern, which is open seasonally and serving "travelers' fare". Each building is used to show the original activity and also to display examples of what was sold or constructed; the nautical instrument shop, for example, displays sextants, nautical timepieces, and so forth, while demonstrations at the cooperage show how casks were assembled.

Additional buildings house more exhibits. One is a 1⁄128 scale model of the entire Mystic River area as it appeared around 1870, complete down to the outhouse that was located behind every residence; the model is 40 feet long. [11] Another contains a collection of carved ship figureheads. [12] Also among the museum's buildings is the Treworgy Planetarium which demonstrates how seamen used stars for navigation. [13]

Sailing instruction [14] is also offered, as well as tourist rides in various historical small craft. Such tours give a good overview of historic ships at their moorings. Mystic Seaport's music program is unusual, as it prominently features sea shanties in their original contexts as work songs.

Mission, Vision and Core Value

Mission:

Mystic Seaport Museum strives to inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.

Vision:

Mystic Seaport Museum will re-imagine the interchange between maritime heritage and broader contemporary culture.

Core Values:

Knowledge, Authenticity, Inspiration, Stewardship and Community [15]

National Historic Landmarks

Four vessels at Mystic Seaport have been recognized by the United States Government as National Historic Landmarks

VesselImageTypeOverall lengthBuiltDescription
Emma C. Berry EmmaberrymysticCTUSA.jpg well smack 39 ft1866Emma C. Berry is the last surviving American well smack (also called Noank smacks). Well smacks originated in England about 1775 and were designed to keep the catch alive in an internal water-filled compartment known as a wet well. Seawater circulated through large holes in the bottom planking. [16] She was donated to Mystic Seaport in 1969 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994. [17] [18]
L. A. Dunton Mystic Seaport L.A. Dunton - Fishing Schooner.JPG fishing schooner123 ft1921L. A. Dunton was built in Massachusetts and is among the last of the larger fishing vessels that were powered solely by sail. She was named after Louis A. Dunton, a sailmaker who was a member of the syndicate that commissioned her construction. [19] She was worked in the New England fisheries until 1934 and then in the Newfoundland cod fishery of the Grand Banks into the 1950s. In 1955, she was converted for use as a coastal cargo boat. She was acquired by Mystic Seaport in 1963 and restored to her original condition. [19] Dunton was declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. [20] [19] [21]
Charles W. Morgan Charles W Morgan.jpg whaler113 ft1841Charles W. Morgan is a whaling ship which was active for 80 years. She is the only surviving wooden whaler from 2,700 ships that operated in the United States whaling fleet. On her deck are huge try pots used to render blubber into whale oil. She came to Mystic Seaport in 1941 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. [22]
Sabino Sabino in 2005.jpg island steamer57 ft1908Sabino is a small wooden, coal-fired steamboat and is one of only two surviving members of the United States mosquito fleet. She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992. [20] [23] Mystic Seaport acquired her after she became obsolete in 1974. The seaport has operated her as a working exhibit ever since, making her America's oldest regularly operating coal-powered steamboat. [24] [25] [26]

Other vessels

VesselImageTypeOverall lengthBuiltDescription
Annie Annie sloop 2008.jpg sandbagger sloop 28 ft1880Annie was used for competitive racing. She was donated to Mystic Seaport in 1931 and became the first vessel in the collection. She was extensively restored in 2004. [27]
Australia Australia (schooner).jpg coastal schooner71 ft1862Australia was designed to carry freight in shallow coastal water. She was used as a blockade runner during the American Civil War until she was captured by Union warships and sold at auction. Mystic Seaport acquired her in 1951 for use as a training vessel. In 1962, she was hauled out of the water for restoration, but damage to the hull was deemed too extensive and the vessel was permanently beached. Australia is now housed in a shed and used as an exhibit on ship construction. [28]
Breck Marshall Cat boat Brek Marshall.jpg cat boat 20 ftc. 1900The Breck Marshall is a replica constructed in 1987 of Cape Cod catboats used for pleasure and fishing around 1900. [29] The working catboat is used the warmer months to carry sight-seeing passengers on the historic Mystic River, sailing either from Middle Wharf or from the Boathouse. [30]
Brilliant Brilliant (schooner).jpg auxiliary schooner61 ft1932Brilliant was built to a high standard as an ocean racing yacht. She crossed the Atlantic Ocean in just over 15 days on her maiden voyage, a record for a sailing yacht of her size. Subsequently, she did a run in England from the Lightship Nantucket to Bishop Rock Light. During World War II, she was acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard, equipped with machine guns, and used to patrol the New England coast for enemy submarines. She was donated to Mystic Seaport in 1957, where she is used as an offshore classroom. [31]
Estella A. Friendship Sloop 34 ft1904Estella A. is a classic friendship sloop built in Maine. She was acquired by Mystic Seaport in 1957 and restored in 1970–72. [32]
Florence Florence Mystic Seaport.jpg dragger40 ft1926Florence is a western rig dragger built in 1926 along the Mystic River. She was used to trawl for fish at the bottom of Long Island Sound, dragging a conical net. In 1982, she was acquired by Mystic Seaport and restored to her original configuration. Florence is the only working dragger located in a museum collection. She is now used to carry students to collect marine biology specimens from Fishers Island Sound. [33]
Gerda III Mystic Seaport Gerda III.JPG lighthouse tender40 ft1926Gerda III was built in 1928 in Denmark as a lighthouse tender, though she appears to have been used as a common work boat. In 1943, she was used to smuggle Jews from Nazi-occupied Denmark to Sweden. Approximately 300 Jews were rescued by Greda III, and the Danish Parliament donated her to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Mystic Seaport helps care for the boat and features her as part of their collection. [34]
Joseph Conrad JosephConradMysticRiver.jpg training ship111 ft1882Joseph Conrad is named after author Joseph Conrad. She is an iron-hulled and fully rigged sailing ship which was used to train sailors in Denmark. She sailed around the world as a private yacht in 1934, then served as a training ship in the United States. She was acquired by Mystic Seaport in 1947, and although she no longer goes to sea, she still fulfill's her original purpose as a training ship for the Mystic Mariner Program and the Museum's educational programs. [35] [36]
Kingston II Tugboat Kingston II, Mystic Seaport Museum.jpg harbor tugboat44 ft1937Kingston II served U.S. Navy submarine-manufacturer Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut for 42 years, until deemed surplus after EB turned to nuclear submarines, too large for this small tugboat. The tugboat is one of the earliest all-welded vessels, having been constructed from scrap steel by apprentice welders training to work on submarines. Came to Mystic Seaport in 1980. [37] [38]
Nellie Nellie 2008.jpg oyster or shoal-draft sloop36 ft1891Nellie was built in New York [39] and was used for oyster dredging in Long Island Sound. Mystic Seaport acquired her in 1964. [40]
Regina M. Regina M.jpg carry-away sloop45 ftc. 1900Regina M. was built in 1900 in Passamaquoddy Bay and was used to collect herring from fish weirs and transport them to canneries on shore. Mystic Seaport acquired the vessel in 1940, and she was restored in 1992 to the way that she looked in 1909. [41]
Roann Roann2010.jpg dragger 60 ft1947Roann is an eastern rig dragger built in Maine in 1947 and used to fish for flounder, cod, and haddock. Mystic Seaport acquired the vessel after she became obsolete in the 1970s. In 2009, Roann underwent complete restoration. [42]
Star Fishing vessel 34 ft1950Star was built in Connecticut for swordfishing and tuna fishing off Long Island. She was acquired by Mystic Seaport in 1976 and has undergone major restoration. [43]


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystic, Connecticut</span> Census-designated place in Connecticut, United States

Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime museum</span> Type of museum related to ships

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Street Seaport</span> United States historic place

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<i>Charles W. Morgan</i> (ship) American whaling ship built in 1841

Charles W. Morgan is an American whaling ship built in 1841 that was active during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships of this type were used to harvest the blubber of whales for whale oil which was commonly used in lamps. Charles W. Morgan has served as a museum ship since the 1940s and is now an exhibit at the Mystic Seaport museum in Mystic, Connecticut. She is the world's oldest surviving (non-wrecked) merchant vessel, the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet, and second to the USS Constitution, the oldest seaworthy vessel in the world. The Morgan was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

<i>Wawona</i> (schooner)

Wawona was an American three-masted, fore-and-aft schooner that sailed from 1897 to 1947 as a lumber carrier and fishing vessel based in Puget Sound. She was one of the last survivors of the sailing schooners in the West Coast lumber trade to San Francisco from Washington, Oregon, and Northern California.

<i>La Amistad</i> Slave ship

La Amistad was a 19th-century two-masted schooner owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba. It became renowned in July 1839 for a slave revolt by Mende captives who had been captured and sold to European slave traders and illegally transported by a Portuguese ship from West Africa to Cuba, in violation of European treaties against the Atlantic slave trade. Spanish plantation owners Don José Ruiz and Don Pedro Montes bought 53 captives in Havana, Cuba, including four children, and were transporting them on the ship to their plantations near Puerto Príncipe. The revolt began after the schooner's cook jokingly told the slaves that they were to be "killed, salted, and cooked." Sengbe Pieh unshackled himself and the others on the third day and started the revolt. They took control of the ship, killing the captain and the cook. Three Africans were also killed in the melee.

<i>Western Union</i> (schooner)

Western Union is a historic schooner located in Key West, Florida, United States. She is berthed at the Key West Bight at 202 William Street. Western Union is the last surviving authentic working tall ship built in Florida. On May 16, 1984, Western Union was added to the US National Register of Historic Places. She is also the official flagship of the State of Florida and the flagship of the city of Key West.

<i>Bowdoin</i> (Arctic schooner)

Bowdoin is a historic schooner built in 1921 in East Boothbay, Maine, at the Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard. Designed by William H. Hand, Jr. under the direction of explorer Donald B. MacMillan, the gaff-rigged vessel is the only American schooner built specifically for Arctic exploration. She has made 29 trips above the Arctic Circle in her life, three since she was acquired by the Maine Maritime Academy as a sail training ship in 1988. She is currently owned by the Academy, located in Castine, Maine, and is named for Bowdoin College.

<i>Lettie G. Howard</i> Schooner

Lettie G. Howard, formerly Mystic C and Caviare, is a wooden Fredonia schooner built in 1893 in Essex, Massachusetts, USA. This type of craft was commonly used by American offshore fishermen, and is believed to be the last surviving example of its type. She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. She is now based at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City.

<i>L. A. Dunton</i> (schooner)

L. A. Dunton is a National Historic Landmark fishing schooner and museum exhibit located at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. Built in 1921, she is one of three remaining vessels afloat of this type, which was once the most common sail-powered fishing vessel sailing from New England ports. In service in New England waters until the 1930s and Newfoundland into the 1950s. After a brief period as a cargo ship, she was acquired by the museum and restored to her original condition.

<i>Sabino</i> (steamer)

Sabino is a small wooden, coal-fired steamboat built in 1908 and located at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. It is one of only two surviving members of the American mosquito fleet, and it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992. It is America's oldest regularly operating coal-powered steamboat.

<i>Emma C. Berry</i> (sloop)

Emma C. Berry is a fishing sloop located at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, United States, and one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America. She is the last known surviving American well smack. This type of boat is also termed a sloop smack or Noank smack. The Noank design was imitated in other regions of the United States.

<i>Wapama</i> (steam schooner)

Wapama, also known as Tongass, was a vessel last located in Richmond, California. She was the last surviving example of some 225 wooden steam schooners that served the lumber trade and other coastal services along the Pacific Coast of the United States. She was managed by the National Park Service at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park until dismantled in August 2013.

<i>Sea Witch</i> (clipper) American sailing cargo ship

Sea Witch was an American clipper ship designed by naval architect John W. Griffiths for the China trading firm of Howland & Aspinwall. She was launched at Smith & Dimon in Manhattan on December 8, 1846.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Faunce Leavitt</span> American artist (1905–1974)

John Faunce Leavitt (1905–1974) was a well-known shipbuilder, writer on maritime subjects, painter of marine canvases, and curator of Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut.

<i>Amazon</i> (yacht) Steam yacht built in 1885

Amazon is a 102-foot (31 m) long screw schooner and former steam yacht built in 1885 at the private Arrow Yard of Tankerville Chamberlayne in Southampton.

Thomas H. Willis was a Danish-born American artist who combined marine art, folk art, and needlework in his portraits of American and European sailing ships, steamers, pilot boats and yachts. His works are represented in maritime museums including the Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum, The Peabody Museum of Salem in Massachusetts and The Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. He died in New York City in 1925.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ House of Representatives (2005) "Commemorating Mystic Seaport", House Report 109, page 1. Government Printing Office.
  2. 1 2 "About Mystic Seaport". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Library Fellows". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "NEH Summer Institute for College and University Professors". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "College and Graduate Programs". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Community Sailing". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Planetarium Courses". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard". Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "The New Topsail Schooner Amistad". Tri-Coastal Marine. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  10. ↑ "Minister Presents Wilberforce Slave Trade Act To Amistad Schooner". Culture 24. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  11. ↑ Mystic River Scale Model Exhibit Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  12. ↑ Figureheads Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  13. ↑ Treworgy Planetarium Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Sailing Programs and Classes in Mystic, CT". Mystic Seaport Museum. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  15. ↑ "Mission, Vision and Core Values". Mystic Seaport Museum. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  16. ↑ March, E J (1970). Sailing trawlers – The story of deep-sea fishing with long line and trawl. David & Charles. ISBN   978-0-87742-004-0.
  17. ↑ Emma C. Berry, National Historic Landmark Nomination, 9 February 1994, National Park Service.
  18. ↑ Emma C. Berry: Noank Smack Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 D'Estang, Nancy; German, Andrew (25 January 1993). "National Historic Landmark Nomination / L. A. Dunton" (pdf). National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-09-04. and
    "Accompanying Photos" (pdf). Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  20. 1 2 "L. A. Dunton (Schooner)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  21. ↑ L. A. Dunton: Fishing schooner Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 6 July 2016
  22. ↑ Charles W Morgan Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  23. ↑ Dean, Nicolas (September 1991). "Marine Heritage of the United States NHL Theme Study—Large Vessels: Sabino / Excursion Steamer Sabino" (pdf). National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-09-12. and
    "Accompanying 5 photos, from c.1910 to 1990". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  24. ↑ "Historic Steamboat Sabino Returns to Service August 2, 2017". Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM). 2 August 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Panko, Ben. "America's Oldest Coal-Powered Steamboat Chugs Along". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "Sabino: Steamboat Cruises". This Is Mystic, CT. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  27. ↑ Annie: Sandbagger Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 29 June 2016
  28. ↑ Australia: Coasting schooner Archived 2016-06-24 at the Wayback Machine Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 29 June 2016
  29. ↑ Breck Marshall: Working catboat Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  30. ↑ "BRECK MARSHALL: WORKING CATBOAT". Mystic Seaport Museum. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  31. ↑ Brilliant: Auxiliary schooner Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  32. ↑ Estella A., Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 6 July 2016
  33. ↑ Florence: Dragger Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  34. ↑ Gerda III: Danish lighthouse tender, Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  35. ↑ Joseph Conrad: Fully rigged ship, Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  36. ↑ "Joseph Conrad - Full Rigged Ship - Historic Vessel in Mystic, CT". Mystic Seaport Museum. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  37. ↑ "Kingston II: Harbor Tugboat". Mystic Seaport. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  38. ↑ "Harbor Tugboat Kingston II". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Sports & Recreation". The Woodenboat (169): 92. 2002.
  40. ↑ Nellie: Oyster Sloop Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 6 July 2016
  41. ↑ Regina M.: Carry away boat Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 6 July 2016
  42. ↑ Roann: Eastern rig dragger Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 6 July 2016
  43. ↑ Star: Noank fish and lobster boat Mystic Seaport. Date accessed 6 July 2016

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