Mystic Seaport Museum (founded as Marine Historical Association) is a maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, the largest in the United States. Its 19 acre site holds a collection of ships and boats and a re-creation of a 19th-century seaport village consisting of more than 60 historic buildings, including many rare commercial structures that were moved to the site and meticulously restored. As of 2016, the museum received about 250,000 visitors each year.

History

The museum was established in 1929 as the Marine Historical Association. One founder was philanthropist Mary Stillman Harkness, daughter of the only surviving child of Mystic shipbuilder Thomas Stillman Greenman. Harkness initially donated land that had belonged to her grandfather; in 1945, she would donate his house to the museum as well. The museum 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 gained fame with its 1941 acquisition of the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden whaling ship. In 1955, maritime history professor Robert G. Albion of Harvard University established the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies, a summer graduate-level academic program.

Grounds and programs

The Henry B. du Pont 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, including the Charles W. Morgan. A replica of the slave ship La Amistad was constructed in the shipyard and launched in 2000. 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. 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. A 40-foot, 1/128 scale model of the Mystic River area as it appeared around 1870, complete down to the outhouses that stood behind every residence. Another contains a collection of carved ship figureheads. Also among the museum's buildings is the Treworgy Planetarium which demonstrates how seamen used stars for navigation. Sailing instruction is also offered, as well as tourist rides in various historical small craft that allow views of historic ships at their moorings. Mystic Seaport's music program features sea shanties in their original contexts as work songs. The Seaport supports research via an extensive library. With Williams College, the museum hosts Williams–Mystic, an undergraduate program in maritime studies. Outreach includes sailing and history classes for area children.

National Historic Landmarks

Four vessels at Mystic Seaport are recognized by the United States government as National Historic Landmarks:

Other vessels

Gallery

Citations

General and cited references