Prized Logbook Now Online

In 1855 Robert Weir shipped aboard the whale ship Clara Bell. Apprehensive about the coming voyage Wier opened his journal with the hope that he'd "soon get used to it. Hurrah for hard times. At least I'd like to make myself feel so, but I scarcely dare look ahead it seems rather dark. Have great anticipation of future independence. I shall never never call on father again."

Weir's journal is both an engrossing tale of a  young man's coming of age and also one of the most visually illustrative accounts of the whaling process. The journal contains over 30 illustrations of shipboard life. Log 164 is now online.

Comer photos included in Inuit History Site

The Department of Education for the Government of Nunavut, Canada, has created a new online website “Inuit Contact and Colonization – TARURNGAQTAQ,” for use by social studies teachers, which includes a group of twenty one Mystic Seaport Comer Collection images to illustrate several sections.

For Inuit takurngaqtaq literally means encountering something for the first time.  This site is an exploration of takurngaqtaq between Inuit and First Nations, Whalers, Explorers and Traders. This journey is guided and supported by the knowledge and experiences of Inuit Elders and the exploration of history. A Historical Exploration toolkit provides context and supports for the research process as well as instructional modules for use by educators.”

Shirley Tagalik advised that if you select the Whaler section and then click on the whaler's trunk, a number of items pop out of the trunk. (The same happens if you select the Inuit pack.) When you click on an item, such as tools, a number of related artifact assets appear along the bottom of the page. You can click on each item for more information related to the item. The photo collection appears as photo assets.

Sponsor a Log!!!

Patrons of the G.W. Blunt White Library now have the ability to aid in the preservation of manuscript items and the dissemination of the information within by sponsoring the digitization of individual logbooks and papers.

Digitizing manuscript material provides for global access (visitors to our site come from over 128 different countries), aids in preservation by reducing wear and tear on the original, and creates an archival copy for later generations to access.

More information and sponsorship level information.

Two New Collection Derivatives

Art in Motion, in association with Mystic Seaport has released two new posters: "Chart the Course" and "Chart the Way".

Using images from the Chart and Map Collection as a background for Rosenfeld photos of Hustler and Columbia these new posters highlight two of our significant collections.

(And they can be purchased too! Proceeds support Mystic Seaport.)