News From the Collections

Christmas on the CHARLES W. MORGAN, 1889

2011-12-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

The G.W. Blunt White Library recently received a journal for the 1889-90 voyage of the CHARLES W. MORGAN out of San Francisco. There has been tremendous interest in this journal, because the keeper, Honorio A. Martin, the second mate, along with the crew of his boat, were left behind by the MORGAN after a Nantucket sleigh ride took them out of range of the ship. They eventually ended up on Sakhalin Island (as reported in the papers of the time), were initially arrested, then made their way to Hong Kong before eventually getting back to San Francisco a month after the MORGAN had returned.

However, the initial part of the voyage was uneventful, and a melancholy second mate Martin recorded the following on the 21st day out of San Francisco as they headed for the Japan and Okhotsk grounds:

"Wednesday, December 25th. Another Christmas is passed by. Still I am wandering on the high seas without a home or abiding place. I wonder how many more I have to pass at sea. Not many, I hope. I am almost tired of this sea life and as soon as possible I will leave it and try to make a living on shore. Today we finished overhauling forward."

Well, his holiday blues and his later brush with death did not dissuade him from doing at least one more voyage as his journal picks up again in 1891 aboard the bark TRITON leaving on a whaling voyage out of San Francisco.

The journal will be available for research purposes once it is cataloged.

A New Sailing Card

2011-11-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

This picture of a sailing card showing a brig-rigged steamer under the heading of the STAR LINE is a recent purchase and is of particular interest to Mystic Seaport. The reason? Three of the vessels listed, the CONSTITUTION, the NEVADA and the WEYBOSSET, were built in Mystic in the mid-1860's. The CONSTITUTION was not only built at the George Greenman yard, her captain was also a Greenman. The AMERICA was a Connecticut vessel as well, built in Portland, CT.

This particular sailing card is the size of a normal postcard and was used, as were all sailing cards, as an advertisement to drum up business for particular ships or lines. Click on this sailing card link for more cards in the collection at Mystic Seaport.

Eddystone Light

2011-11-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

This image of the Eddystone Lighthouse from the sketchbook of Lieutenant (later Captain) George Tobin, R.N., was done in the year 1800. This was the third light to be built at Eddystone and was completed in 1759. When it began incurring damage from waves in the 1870's, it was dismantled, piece by piece, and erected on a piece of land called Plymouth Hoe as a monument to its ingenious creator, John Smeaton.

George Tobin's sketchbook will be on display in March as part of the exhibit on Treasures from the Collection of Mystic Seaport. Click on the word "sketchbook" to take you to the full digital version.

Pie Anyone?

2011-09-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

With the relentless advance of the seasons, and Fall creeping up on us, the thought of a good harvest of apples brings to mind the thought of pies. At least for me.....

Pies have always been a staple in the American diet, and pies were made with all sorts of fillings. However, many homemakers took a special interest in the decoration of their crusts and pie crimpers were made with that thought in mind. The trimming or decoration of dough for a pie made the crimper a very utilitarian object in the kitchen, and a whaleman with a little bit of time on his hands and some talent in the area of carving could produce some interesting crimpers.

The crimper pictured here is actually a very simple design for the most part. Many have handles that are exquisite in their piercings and framework. This single handled crimper looks more like a modern pizza cutter than anything else. However, according to Richard Malley in his book GRAVEN BY THE FISHERMEN THEMSELVES, he states, "What makes this piece unusual..is the recessed edge of the cutting disk on which is carved reverse lettering in high relief. When used to cut dough, the crimper, with each full turn of the wheel, boldly prints along the edge the message "GOOD PIE WELL MADE."

Bon Appetit! (crimper accession number 1947.1605)

Morgan Coin Revisited

2011-06-22T13:15:00.001-07:00

The Collections and Research Department had a visit from Carl Swebilius, who has been blogging about the restoration of the CHARLES W. MORGAN, and members of the Pawcatuck Valley Coin Club on June 22nd. Larry Erhard, Dennis Fortier, Bill Jacobik and Scott Rottinghaus examined the coins that were removed from under the MORGAN'S masts in 2008. While one, a 1997 silver dollar was in very good shape and unspectacular in its date, the other two were unknown entities, although a 1947 article in local papers reported that one of the coins was an 1841 penny. The second coin, while massively corroded, was determined to be an Eisenhower silver dollar dated between 1971 and 1978. The 1841 penny was neither a penny nor from 1841. With coin identification books and magnifiers in hand, the group made short work of the the identity.

The "penny" was, in fact, determined to be a 1908 Barber silver half dollar minted in Denver. The top image is what the front of the half dollar now looks like. The next image is what a Barber half dollar SHOULD look like. The third image is the reverse image of the front of the coin as photographed on the bottom of the mast in 1947 and the last image is the back of the coin as it now looks.

Traditions and ceremonies go back centuries where the building and launching of ships are concerned. From the barbaric sacrifice of humans, to the breaking of champagne bottles on the bow, the most interesting might be the installation,for luck, of a coin under a mast before it is stepped. Not only is the luck of the ship accounted for, but so is its history. Finding a 1908 coin under the mast tells us that work on that particular mast was done sometime after that date, giving us confirmation of events that are documented elsewhere.

Having local friends to help in the pursuit of historical fact is something that is greatly appreciated at Mystic Seaport.

Yale, Mystic Seaport and a Mediterranean Connection

2011-06-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

An archivist at the Beinecke Library at Yale recently discovered that an illustrated manuscript volume in their collection is a companion volume to one in ours. The volumes, entitled "Costumes of the Mediterranean", were the work of Edward C. Young, a young marine sergeant aboard Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry's sloop-of-war CONCORD in the Mediterranean from 1830 to 1832.

Click on this link to view the images of Mystic Seaport's volume. To see more information and link to Yale's volume, click here.

Used Book Sale!

2011-06-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Sat. June 25th from 11:00AM to 4:00PM

G.W. BLUNT WHITE BUILDING
at the North End of the Campus

To benefit Mystic Seaport’s library

Mostly nautical books include:
* 700 Book Dutch Auction
(prices $10 11AM-1PM, $5 1PM-3PM, $2 3PM-4PM)
*100 Special Value Books $10 and up
*Over 100 $1 books, charts, etc.

ALSO
tables of free items
(periodicals, charts and more)

*All Proceeds of the Sale to be used for Library Materials
*Sale conducted by the Fellows of the G.W. Blunt White Library

It's a Small World.....

2011-05-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

This pocket terrestrial globe is illustrated with a cartouche carrying the phrase “Lane’s Improved Globe, London.” It is approximately 3.5 inches in diameter overall. This little globe has metal pins at the poles which allow the globe to turn inside the shell. The globe is hand colored and shows the routes of various explorers. One note at the Sandwich Islands states “Here C. Cook was killed.” The interior of the shell is illustrated with the signs of the zodiac. The exterior of the shell is covered in what is referred to as “fish-skin” and helped to protect the globe from the elements. It most likely dates from the first quarter of the 19th century. It is accession number 1953.2872 and it can be found in the Collections Research Center. Photo by Andy Price.

Fellowships Awarded For Research at Museum

2011-03-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

IN A RECENT MEETING OF THE NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL FELLOWSHIP CONSORTIUM, a collaboration of 18 major cultural agencies, the consortium awarded 12 fellowships from a pool of 90 applicants for 2011–2012. Each grant will provide a stipend of $5,000 for a minimum of eight weeks of research at participating institutions. Grants are designed to encourage projects that draw on the resources of several agencies. Each award will be for research at a minimum of three different member institutions. Fellows must work at each of them for at least two weeks. In ten years the Consortium has handed out over 100 fellowships totaling more than $500,000. The initial funding came from a $150,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation and is supported annually by dues from the participating institutions.

Once again the G.W. Blunt White Library at Mystic Seaport will be hosting 2 of the 12 Fellows this year. One, Hari Vishwanadha from Thousand Oaks, California, was a participant in last summer’s Munson Institute that was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Hari spent six weeks combing through our collections and along with his planned visits to other institutions in the consortium, will spend two weeks concentrating on logbooks, letters and business papers relating to his topic “Passages to India”.

The other Fellow, Hannah Farber from the University of California at Berkeley, will be working on completing her dissertation for her Ph.D. This dissertation project (expected completion in spring 2014) explores the ways in which the growth of the American maritime insurance industry shaped international relations, domestic politics, and the cultures of commerce and finance between the American Revolution and the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Our collections in both areas are quite rich and will easily support the two weeks’ worth of work each Fellow will be completing here.

Paul J. O'Pecko

Literary Scrimshaw

2011-03-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Museum has a wonderful piece of scrimshaw entitled "The Sailor Boy." (Accession number 1974.691) The illustration appears on a large, nine-inch sperm whale and is very nicely done. Richard Malley, who was the Assistant Registrar at Mystic Seaport when he wrote about the Museum's scrimshaw collection in his 1983 book Graven by the Fishermen Themselves, states, "Though the scrimshander's skill is of the highest order, the artist did not concoct the scene on his own." Indeed, as so many other sailors did, this particular jack tar copied a scene from a published source that would have been well known at the time. In the accompanying image, the scrimshaw piece appears on the left, and the published source on the right. The published scene was used as the frontispiece for Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea by Charles Ellms, first published in 1836. The verse that appears below the boy as he ascends the ratlines reads "Though the strained mast quivers as a reed, And the rent canvas fluttering strew the gale, Still I must on...Byron." A poignant look at the perils of a young man at sea as seen through the eyes of both a poet and a scrimshander. It is a prized piece at Mystic Seaport.

New CHARLES W. MORGAN Painting for the Collection

2011-02-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

Mystic Seaport recently acquired a watercolor of the CHARLES W. MORGAN painted in the 1920's by Frederic Schiller Cozzens. Entitled "CHARLES W. MORGAN, 1841, Homeward Bound," the painting shows the MORGAN as a full-rigged ship rather than her more familiar bark rig. The painting was done just prior to her being put on exhibit at the estate of Colonel Green at Round Hill in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

Frederick S. Cozzens was a prolific illustrator and artist born in 1846 in New York City. Along with illustrating books and magazines he painted many maritime scenes. While mostly known for his yachting images, Cozzens painted a variety of subjects from whale ships to naval fleets to iceboats, lifesaving scenes and more. He died in New York City in 1928.

This pretty little painting is one more addition to our collection of CHARLES W. MORGAN material, honoring the MORGAN's restoration work currently being done at Mystic Seaport.

New Hours For Accessing the Collections!

2011-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

Along with a New Year, comes a new set of hours that we will be open to the public. Beginning Wednesday, January 5th, the new hours are:

Wednesday 2:00-5:00
Thursday 10:00-5:00
Friday 10:00-3:00

2010-11-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

Robert Louis Stevenson and Mystic Seaport

A number of objects belonging to Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and numerous other well-known works, came to the Museum in the 1950's. Stevenson spent his last years in Samoa, dying there of a probable cerebral hemorrhage in 1894 at just 44 years of age.

Stevenson speaks frequently of drinking kava (or ava) in numerous letters written while in Samoa and kava appears in some of his novels as well. He describes the process of making this "intoxicating" drink from the root of a pepper plant, where the root is chewed by "fair damsels" to soften it and then it is combined with water and strained in a wooden bowl. That wooden bowl is known as a kava bowl. The kava bowl pictured here is from Stevenson's household in Samoa. It is carved from a single piece of wood, has eight legs and is four and a half inches deep. Kava was a ceremonial drink and Stevenson writes of making speeches to, and listening to speeches by, chiefs in Samoa before imbibing. To drink kava, one traditionally used a kava bowl or a cup made from a coconut. Our collection also contains one of Stevenson's coconut cups and numerous other objects from his years in the South Pacific.

A Frightful Sight

2010-10-28T04:58:00.000-07:00

No, this is not part of the skeletal remains of some maritime ghoul, but something far more scary to those that have had experience with such things. It is a kidney stone. And not just ANY kidney stone. It is fully eight inches across and weighs in the neighborhood of five pounds! The poor soul who suffered with this stone was not a lonesome sailor drifting on the high seas, but a pained mammal making their way beneath the waves. It is a kidney stone from a whale.

The stone came into the Collection in the Museum's early days in 1939. In 1965, a Museum member, Chief of Urology at a New York Hospital, spotted the stone in an exhibit and was granted permission to make a study of it. His findings concluded that, unlike a human kidney stone which is made primarily of calcium, this stone is chiefly made of magnesium. His conclusion was that the whale's diet of creatures with high magnesium content caused the unusual growth.

So this Halloween, be grateful that your night-time visitors are pirates and aliens and not, luckily, a five-pound kidney stone.

2010-09-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Mystic Seaport selected Patrick O'Brien's "Great White Fleet in the Straits of Magellan" as its Museum Purchase Award at the 31st Annual International Marine Art Exhibition held at the Museum's Art Gallery.

Mr. O'Brien's extraordinary painting shows the pride of the American Navy in the first decade of the 20th century as it navigates its way through the Straits of Magellan and around Cape Horn. While the Museum often picks a painting with a modern commercial seafaring aspect to it, this painting spoke so strongly to the Museum's charge as the "Museum of America and the Sea" that it was just too difficult to pass up. The fact that the largest vessel, and flagship of the fleet, was the U.S.S. CONNECTICUT made this a tailor-made painting for the Museum's permanent collection.

Congratulations on a fine job, Patrick.

Scrimshaw Treasure? Think again....

2010-08-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

While visiting a flea market or a small antiques shop off in the middle of nowhere, you come across a hidden treasure...an old walrus tusk with the image of a whaling scene on it and the name of a famous whaling ship, the CHARLES W. MORGAN...you grab for your wallet, shell out your cash and call Mystic Seaport to tell them you've found a treasure that you are sure they will want....unfortunately, they already have about a dozen of the same piece! How could this be? Yours is the original, so how did they get a copy? Well, the answer is easy...Fakeshaw, as it has been termed.

Over the years a number of companies have created pieces of "scrimshaw" by forming molds that resemble walrus tusks or sperm whale teeth and embedding information in them to make them look and feel like real scrimshaw. Unless you have apiece of real scrimshaw in your hand with which to compare it, the fake can seem quite authentic.

Pictured here is a MORGAN tusk, showing both sides, and cut in pieces to show that it is indeed plastic..so, if you find one of these pieces, you may still want to buy it to decorate your home, but don't expect any collectors or Museums to come knocking at your door...For more information on fakeshaw, visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum's webpage on the subject where you can find numerous pieces described.
Visit the following page. http://www.whalingmuseum.org/library/fakeshaw/search.html

Flying the Colors

2010-07-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Flying the Colors is Mystic Seaport's newest book about the unseen treasures of nineteenth-century American Marine Art.

America has a long and distinguished history of notable marine art and artists such as James Buttersworth, Robert Salmon, and Fitz Henry Lane, whose special genius was to put down on canvas truly memorable representations of such marine themes as the sailing ships and yachts that plied oceanic waters. Often some of the best of these paintings have not been readily accessible to the general public. Now a compendium of those marvelous paintings have been compiled in "Flying The Colors: The Unseen Treasures Of Nineteenth-Century American Marine Art" by the team of Alan Granby and Janice Hyland. Beautiful images flawless reproduced in full color are enhanced with an informative essay by Stuart M. Frank. Readers are also provided with succinct biographical descriptions of the artists whose works are represented. The result is a coffee-table art book that is a pure delight to browse through and which is unrestrainedly recommended for personal, academic, and community library American Art History reference collections.

Midwest Book Reviews

New Book on J.E. Buttersworth

2010-07-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

Mystic Seaport recently published a 2nd edition of Rudolph J. Schaefer's comprehensive book, J. E. Buttersworth: 19th-Century Marine Painter. With the advice of Janet Schaefer, the new volume includes the details of Buttersworth's life, full-color reproductions of more than 150 works, and a listing of nearly 1,200 known Buttersworth paintings.

The son of a British marine painter, James E. Buttersworth (1817-1894) was among the most prolific marine artists of the nineteenth century. His clipper ship views many of which were published as popular lithographs by N. Currier and his America's Cup race paintings are widely respected for their combination of artistic and documentary qualities. Like his contemporary "luminist" and Hudson River School artists, Buttersworth excelled in the dramatic renderings of sea and sky, elevating the precisely detailed renderings of ships beyond document to art. The completely revised image section, with new or augmented captions, contains more than 200 examples of Buttersworth's work illustrated in full color, more than half of which were not included in the first edition.

New Bedford Panorama Comes to Mystic Seaport

2010-06-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

The New Bedford Whaling Museum recently brought a priceless object to Mystic Seaport for temporary storage while architectural work is being done at the Whaling Museum. Caleb Purrington's and Benjamin Russell's "Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Round the Worls" is being housed in the Collections research Center at Mystic Seaport until such time as new space is available at the NBWM.

James Russell, the President of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, stated that he was extremely happy with the arrangement as, he noted, "There are many ties that bind Mystic Seaport and the New Bedford Whaling Museum, from shared goals, values and subject matter, to a great interest in the restoration of the CHARLES W. MORGAN. Close cooperation between the museums continues to grow and the New Bedford Whaling Museum is very grateful to Mystic Seaport for storing this masterpiece.....collection storage at Mystic Seaport is second to none and we wanted this in the best and safest place possible until restoration could become a reality."

According to Mary Jean Blasdale's "Artists of New Bedford" the panorama was created by the two artists in 1848 after Russell had completed a whaling voyage and he wanted to document it in images. The panorama is nearly 1,300 feet in length and painted on a canvas eight and one half feet high. It is currently stored on eight separate rolls that are ten feet long. The panorama traveled the United States in the 19th century and, like other panoramas of the time, served as a form of entertainment "similar to the motion picture travelogue of later days," as noted by Blasdale.

For more information on panoramas in general, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_Panorama

The accompanying picture is one frame of the panel and the short video shows the placement of one roll of the panorama into its new temporary storage area.

New Maritime Journal!!!!

2010-04-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

Coriolis, a prevailing global force that shapes human maritime experience is also the name of the new peer-reviewed Interdisciplinary Journal of Maritime Studies. Volume 1, Number 1 includes an introduction by John Hattendorf , an article on Hawaii's historical whaling economy as revealed through regulation, and the study of colonial household goods as a means to understand local fisheries.

The articles are well-documented, thoroughly enjoyable, and make valuable contributions to the field of Maritime Studies. Coriolis is published in association with the National Maritime Digital Library.

Shooting for TUGS

2010-03-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

In my near 3 years of working at MYSTIC SEAPORT I have been granted many a great opportunity. Some of the most exciting include meeting world class sailor Gary Jobson, installing equipment for the amazing Object theater in last year's FROZEN IN exhibit, and of course access to our countless tapes of priceless maritime footage within our secure vault. However, I can honestly say, shooting for the new TUGS exhibit coming in May has given me some of the coolest experiences in my life.

Fall of Last year brought myself and my co-worker Dan Harvison to the harbors of New York City to shoot the annual Tug Games that take place there. He on a historic tug boat, myself on a chase boat, we were both well equipped with some spiffy High Definition cameras!! My were they ever a joy to work with. These cameras not only were lighter and easier to maneuver than anything we've ever worked with previously, but the picture is absolutely indescribable!

Sitting on chase boat I watched and filmed in awe as a river full of Tug boats of all sizes and models raced and frolicked around me. The collective wake of the opening race was massive, nearly toppling me over on the deck. Once the race was over, the fun continued all at once. Some boats move into the dock for a line tossing contest, attempting to lasso the dock brace with a rope the thickness of my arm...some even bigger! Meanwhile, out further into the water, some boats had nose-to-nose contests. Each tug pushing against each other in a sort of "Tug" of war, only in reverse. Surprisingly, even the smaller tugs seemed to hold their own against the massive barge tugs in these contests of brute force.

A few months later, we again found ourselves filming for TUGS with our friends the High Definition cameras. This time, we were aboard a brand spanking new ATB Tug boat. This tug was absolutely massive, it's cockpit rising nearly 80 feet off the water. We were the guests of honor as the captain and crew gave us a full tour and cruised out into open water for a brief, but extremely memorable sea trial. I can't seem to put into words how it feels to be on a ship this massive that can spin nearly in place!

Touring the engine room was like visiting the tug straight off the assembly line. Everything was spotless and shone from the lights above. In some areas, crewmen and engineers worked with various tools making final adjustments before the Tug could be handed off to it's owner.

By far the most amazing thing out of all of these was walking on top of a steel barge while still under construction. We had to be at least the same height as the tug cockpit, the unfinished behemoth being held up only by a few supports allowing work to continue underneath. All around us welders were applying their trade, blinding sparks fixing new plates into place. At one point we were told to be careful where we pointed the camera, for right next door to the manufacturing facility was non other than GENERAL DYNAMICS.

Sadly, TUGS is in post production, and all adventures have long been had and passed. Fortunately a new adventure still awaits us...watching the finished programs in sparkling High Definition!!!

Charles G. Davis Model: The LEXINGTON

2010-03-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

In issue two of NAUTICAL QUARTERLY back in 1978, Weston Farmer said of Charles G. Davis' models that were found in "important maritime" museums, "These were the masterpieces of a God-given talent that was literally stunning." Davis was, in turn, a sailor, a naval architect, an engineer, an artist, a writer and more. No wonder Farmer described him as a "Leonardo of the boat-design game." In addition to editing MOTOR BOAT magazine for a number of years, Davis also wrote numerous books on yacht design, sailing and more. One of his books, "The Built-Up Ship Model", written in 1933, was a classic book for modelers, teaching them how to build a model as if building an actual ship. Just recently, through a generous gift, the museum became the proud owner of the brig LEXINGTON, the model used as basis for the book. The LEXINGTON was one of the first private vessels taken into the fledgling U.S. Navy and had her name changed to honor the town where the first battle of the Revolution took place.

The picture shows some of the extraordinary detail of the model, including the workmanship on the ship's boat. The model will spend a couple months in our CO2 chamber to guarantee that no living thing is harming the model in any way before it makes its way back into its case for potential display in the near future.

Mystic Seaport is proud to add the LEXINGTON to its wealth of C.G. Davis material, including other models in the collection, but also a sizable gathering of his plans and manuscript material, including many of the drawings that accompanied his writings.

Fishing in the Footsteps of Dr. Charles K. Stillman: A Look into One of Our Founder's Favorite Hobbies

2010-03-11T23:57:00.000-08:00

Mystic Seaport will examine the rarely seen Charles K. Stillman Collection in “Fishing in the Footsteps of Dr. Charles K. Stillman: A Look into One of Our Founder's Favorite Hobbies,” the second installment of the “Maritime Surprises from the ...Museum’s Collections” series held Friday, March 12, from 5:30 - 7 p.m.

The four-part series, hosted at the Museum’s Collections Research Center, allows attendees to view significant items that relate to our nation’s maritime heritage. As one of the founders of both Mystic Seaport and the Atlantic Tuna Club, Stillman was an avid freshwater and saltwater fisherman who kept detailed records of his extensive New England fishing experiences. Museum Registrar Krystal Kornegay will discuss almost 30 years of fishing journals that Stillman kept from 1900 to 1931. Stillman’s original fishing gear and watercolor illustrations from his journals will be shown.Kornegay will further discuss her personal experiences in using Stillman’s journal entries and maps to find some of the locales in which he fished, sharing the distinct changes she has recorded along the way.

Sodas and light snacks will be available.
The series continues March 12 and April 9. For more information on “Maritime Surprises,” visit www.mysticseaport.org.

Tickets are $12 per program (members: $10) and can be purchased online at www.mysticseaport.org/tickets or by calling 860.572.5322. Tickets must be purchased in advance as seating is limited. Free parking is available adjacent to the Collections Research Center in the Museum’s north parking lot.

Founded in 1929, Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum and features tall ships, a re-created 19th-century village, exhibits and a planetarium. The Museum is located one mile south of exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT, and is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org or call 888.973.2767.

Awards for Professor Hattendorf

2010-03-10T05:21:00.001-08:00

The year 2009 was a busy one, award-wise, for the former head of the Munson Institute at Mystic Seaport, Professor John Hattendorf. The Naval War College, home for Dr. Hattendorf, stated that the Samuel Eliot Morrison award (named after the eminent Harvard Professor) was given for John's public service in scholarship, patriotism and interest in maritime topics. The equally prestigious Alfred Thayer Mahan Award was given for literary achievements that advance the understanding of naval warfare, strategy and policy. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Hattendorf has written, edited or contributed to more than forty books. His recent Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History is a major editing achievement in the field. And if all that weren't enough, John also received the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award in 2009. The good professor deserves an extra ration of grog for his outstanding capabilities.

Life of a Podcast: The Final Touches

2010-03-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Once we have all the custom footage we need it's time to compile all the clips we need, and if needed pull stock footage from one of our countless tapes in our climate controlled film/video vault.

It may surprise you to learn that we don't work in DVDs but rather Beta tapes. In fact, only recently has the industry started to change their accepted archival medium from Beta to that of the digital file and hard drive storage. These tapes are of high quality, and durable to boot, making them perfect for archival.

Booting up the Media 100 software on our computer, we must now digitize all of our desired footage. This process is the most time consuming portion of the editing process, the digitization process working in real-time as opposed to the instant drag and drop process of a digital file. To cut back on time, we usually only digitze the full tape for our custom shots, and digitizing pre-selected clips from stock tapes.

The Media 100 software now allows us to use the clips we have digitized and manipulate them in any way we wish. We can create further clips from them, drop them into the timeline as-is, or remove the audio, or even video from the selected clip to suit the needs of the video. A second program, Adobe After Effects is often used for various motion effects for still shots and moving fonts.

Once the program is complete we can export the file as an .MOV format to our "Podcasts" folder. Now it's time for the second most time-comsuming process, encoding for the internet. Since the Media 100 and our Cleaner XL encoding software work on the same codec, Media 100 must be close, but we're done editing anyways so it's ok. While .MOV files are fine on their own, we find that MP4 files are much better suited for YouTube posting. For our actual Podcast Feed, the file must be further encoded to an .m4v file before being uploaded to our ftp server online.

The finished product is now able to be uploaded and promoted across the internet for all our visitors to see. But our work is never done, no time to rest, time to work on our next podcast!

American Library Association Selects Connecticut History Online as the National Digital Library of the Week

2010-03-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Connecticut History Online is a digital collection of over 15,000 digital primary sources, together with associated interpretive and educational material. The four current CHO partners (the Connecticut Historical Society, Connecticut State Library, Mystic Seaport, and the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center) represent three major communities that preserve and make accessible historical collections within the state of Connecticut. Their combined assets include book and periodical volumes, manuscript materials, photographs and graphics, oral histories, maps, artifacts, and broadsides.

Now in its 10th year, CHO is embarking on a collaboration with the Encyclopedia of Connecticut History Online to serve the needs of scholars,teachers and students, genealogists, and the general public. This new initiative builds upon a very successful collaboration of libraries and museums carried out in two IMLS National Leadership grant-funded phases (19992007) that focused on digital capture of historical artifacts, including photographs, maps, broadsides, oral histories, manuscripts, and oral histories. These document events, people, and places that are part of the fabric of Connecticut and American social, business, political, educational, cultural, and civic life.

Life of a Podcast: The Shoot

2010-02-22T12:10:00.000-08:00

Occasionally a script calls for custom shooting by the Film/Video Archives crew. Sometimes simple, sometimes complex and creative, we always go through a similar preperation process.

Once the script is complete, the producer/director of the particular video sometimes compiles the precice shots they need by drafting a storyboard. Although the art may not be sophisticated, usually stick figures, they still perform the important job of establishing the composition of the shot. Together with arrows indication motion, the actors and cameraman will work together to replicate the layout and angle of each needed shot in the video.

Storyboard in hand, and actors in tow, it is time to collect the necessary equipment for the set. The most important piece of equipment, of course, being the BetaCam Video Camera. As good practice, the crew always packs at least an hour of tape more than expected needed for the shoot, just in case.

Next comes the heavy duty tripod. Our tripod has adjustable tension and locks for tilt and pan rotations. For less level ground, a ball-socket joint allows us to adjust the head of the tripod, with the aid of a light-up bubble level, even in the dark.

The next batch of equipment packed depends on the needs of the shoot. Is there audio? Will we need additional light? How much light? Will we be doing in-camera effects?

With the addition of Lappel mics, we are able to capture up to two different audio channels for our actors. Or, for even more actors or a noisy environment, a boom mic with a 10 foot extension wand can give us a more directional and selective range for our audio needs.

Lighting additions to the shooting kit gets a bit tricky. Although we have a full lighting kit complete with a multitude of lights, reflectors, and colored gels. We won't necessarily need the entire kit for the shoot. Again, it all depends on the needs for the shot. However, whenever we need light we always use the 3 point lighting rule-- Key light, your main source of light in the shot. Fill light, a smaller amount of light to fill the shadows cast on the subject by the main light. Back light, a minor, often obscured, light to provide emphasis on the background of the subject.

Finally, if lights are indeed needed, the last pieces of equipment needed are universal C-Stands and sandbags to weigh them down. C-Stands are one of our most usefull pieces of equipment both on and off the set. Not only do we use these in lighting setups to hold reflectors or shields, we also can use them as a steady Boom Mic rig, a balancing rig for our steady-cam, or even to hold various backdrop material.

One last check of the equipment list and producer, director, cameraman, and talent are off to the set. Ready to make video magic before the editor takes their turn...but that's for another entry.

Maritime Author Series

2010-01-28T05:57:00.001-08:00

Mary Malloy of the Sea Education Association and Harvard University opened our Maritime Author lecture series on Wednesday, January 27th with a rousing talk on Sam Hill. Captain Hill, buried in Boston within feet of John Hancock, was a notorious New Englander who led a reckless and violent life on the high seas in the early 1800's crossing paths with likes of Lewis and Clark and being the first American to live in Japan.

Mary also spoke about her foray into the world of historical fiction and the freedom and challenges it poses for a trained historian. It was a delight to welcome Mary on behalf of the Fellows of the G.W Blunt White Library, the sponsors of the event.

"The Devil on the Deep Blue Sea" and Mary'swork of fiction "The Wandering Heart" are great reads and easily avaialble through our book store or other outlets.

Life of a Podcast: Writing the Script

2010-01-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

Like anything else the podcasts and other video programs produced here at the Film/Video Archives start simple enough, with an idea. These ideas being our many events and announcements of special programs from the museum. However, it is our job to come up with a way to promote in an informative and interesting way. This is where the script comes in.

Production Assistant Brandon Morgan captains most of the podcasts and videos seen regarding promotions. Production Head Daniel Harvison responsible for much larger projects such as exhibit videos and the Restoring an Icon: Charles W. Morgan programs.

When writing a promotional script, as you will see like any other part of our jobs, we have a fantastic arsenal of tools at our disposal. In this case, reference books, each with their own special job.

Websters Dictionary- Something no writer should EVER be without for obvious reasons.

Standard Handbook of Synonyms, Antonyms, & Prepositions- This book, coupled with Websters, helps us greatly expand our vocabulary for a more powerful, and therefore more effective script.

Style The Basics of Clarity and Grace- English is by far one of the most complicated and confusing language in the world. This book holds the key to unlocking the more confusing rules behind our language as well as introducing tools to clean up a cluttered script of unnecessary language. It also has a neat section on "Myths" of the English language that would greatly upset your Middle School English Teacher.

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer- As the title says, this book is full of tips and tricks to improve any writer's style, including subtle nuances in form and sentence structure. The section on cures for Writer's Block is nothing short of a saving grace.

The Poet's Dictionary- In many ways a writer is very much a poet. Within this book are several tools in poetry that when used carefully, can spice up any script to grab the attention of the viewer.

Once the first draft is written, the production team cooperates with the event supervisors and Mike O'Farrell of the Marketing and Communications team check the script for any changes or corrections to suit their needs. Working together, what the two teams produce as a final product is ready now ready for narration, or in some cases, straight onto the video shoot.

Dan Harvison's Restoring an Icon podcasts, however. Are another story completely. Watching these videos you will notice that there is no real script behind them, and yet each one is structured with a strong narrative and even flow throughout. These programs are written by the use of interview soundbytes. Once an interview on the specified topic has been taken. Dan will review the footage, selecting quotes and sometimes even single words to construct the narrative of the program. This is the same technique documentaries use on a regular basis. Of course, to pull this specific technique off, one has to be both good writer as well as a good editor. Thankfully for us, Dan is both of these.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

2010-01-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

Visitors who take the exciting new tour of the Collections and Research Center this winter start off the tour with a very special look at all the important and dedicated departments housed in this building.

The interpreter turns on the monitor and presses play, and much to your surprise upbeat hip-hop music begins to play as images of the Collections building scrolls across the screen. Thus begins the new 13 minute "Cribs" video produced right here by the Film/Video archives.

A year in the making, this latest production shows off the talent and skill of editor, producer, and camera man Daniel Harvison. Together with Production Assistant Brandon Morgan, the Film/Video archives have the fantastic opportunity to provide all interested in the Museum with regular podcasts and video updates on the official Mystic Seaport YouTube channel.

A lot of work goes into what we do, but we're happy to make the effort to not only produce, but preserve our even larger selection of archival footage from the Mystic Seaport collection. In our very own refrigerated-vault, we house, transfer, and even clean and repair footage from throughout maritime history including the famous footage of rounding Cape Horn by Irving Johnson.

Part of the joy in our work comes from being able to share powerful moments and visuals with the world. Whether this be our continuing coverage of the Charles W. Morgan Restoration, or shooting and producing original programs for our many exhibits; we are always excited to be a part of your experience here at Mystic Seaport.

George Tobin Sketchbook Now Online

2009-12-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

George Tobin (1768-1838) was third lieutenant on HMS Providence on Captain William Bligh's second voyage to obtain breadfruit plants from Tahiti and take them to Jamaica. Tobin became an artist on the voyage when the official artist was too ill to join the ship. Throughout the voyage he sketched views and natural history specimens, notably birds and fish, in most of the places visited. Tobin continued to pursue both his artistic and maritime career become a renown artist.

In 1939 Mystic Seaport became the proud holders of one of Tobin's sketchbook, preserved in the Manuscripts Collection and now available online.

Sea Music Festival ...Call For Papers

2009-12-11T05:18:00.001-08:00

The Collections Department at Mystic Seaport is a great place to start exploring topics for music of the sea. Visit our catalogs to get an idea of the breadth of music-related subjects held in our various collections.

The annual Sea Music Festival will be held at Mystic Seaport in June, 2010. The official call for papers, submission by February 28, 2010, can be found at:

http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=172410

Celebrating the End of A Season

2009-12-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

As a great (maritime) songwriter once wrote you can't "reason with hurricane season"*, but you can celebrate the end of yet another. Yesterday marked the official end of the 2009 season and the folks in the Collections are especially happy to have not put our emergency plan into action. When a hurricane hits a coastal museum - there is a lot of work to do securing the site from wind and waves.

Take a stroll through our Hurricane Image Archive and I'm sure you'll join us in the Celebration.

*Jimmy Buffet, 1974.

Villiers photos showcased by National Maritime Museum

2009-11-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

Alan John Villiers (1903-1982) was a distinguished Australian sailor, author and photographer with a passion for life at sea. His work vividly records the period of early-20th century maritime history when merchant sailing vessels or 'tall ships' were in rapid decline. The NMM Picture Library recently published a special collection of Villiers's photographs to its print sales website www.nmmprints.com. This collection, entitled 'Last of the Wind Ships', focuses on his voyages on square-rigged ships including the Joseph Conrad which is now preserved here at Mystic Seaport.

Holiday Closing and Historical Note

2009-11-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

The Research Room will be closed Thursday and Friday 11/26 - 11/27 for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Hope your Holidays are passed in better circumstances than that of Carsten B. DeWitt, yeoman, on board the U.S.S. KEARSARGE who notes in his journal:

1863 November 26th weather fine and quite warm. This day is appointed as a day of Thanksgiving in most of the States of the United States. I would like to meet in the Family circle and see my Friends once again but circumstances does not permit and I must content my self with eating a Dinner worthy of the Day and hoping that the next one will see me free and in the enjoyment of a life of Freedom and amongst my Friends again.

Prized Logbook Now Online

2009-10-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-10-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

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.)

"We have to work like horses and live like pigs"

2009-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

I posted a few months ago on Mystic Seaport's whaleboat that is in the National Museum of American History’s exhibit.What I didn't realize at the time was that it is a quote from Robert Weir's journal kept on board the whale ship Clara Bell that appears on the wall above the whaleboat and that curators choose to exemplify the feelings of 19^th century mariners. "We have to work like horses and live like pigs" is only one of the many insightful lines written by Weir in Mystic Seaport's Log 164. Illustrations from the Clara Bell log have appeared in numerous publications including the novel: "Whale Hunt: The Narrative of a Voyage by Nelson Cole Haley, Harpooner in the Ship Charles W. Morgan." “American Heritage” also featured an article on Weir that is now available online. … Many and many a weary league am I now from those I love—and O what a life for me to lead, among an ungodly set of men

Book, Manuscript and Periodical Catalog Update

2009-09-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Featuring updated search and display features as well as the ability for Mystic Seaport Staff and students to create accounts and maintain lists and email search results right to your own computer, the 'new' catalog is now live.

Check it out at:

http://voyager.mysticseaport.org/vwebv/searchBasic

Thanks for the smoothly orchestrated update go to Mindy Matheson the Collections System Administrator and IT Director, Michael Lehnertz.

You can also email or post search results to your fellow researchers. For instance - see what the Library holds on the Charles W. Morgan.

New -- Collections and Research Image Archive

2009-09-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Mystic Seaports' collection of art, objects, photographs, and ships plans number in the millions and while it is an ambitious undertaking staff at the CRC are continually working to serve our visitors by putting more and more of these vast resources online. To date approximately 10,000 images have been shot and scanned. That isn't all the collection but it is enough to keep many researchers, staff, folks with general interest in various maritime maters, or just the plain curious, plenty busy.

Search the Image Archive at: http://library.mysticseaport.org/ere/oindex.cfm. Results can be viewed in either List or Gallery views.

Or browse some selected ‘collections’

By Category: Instruments Scrimshaw Oil Paintings

By Topic: Canals Tugboats Bicycles

Please note - this resource is under continuing development (for instance you will see a few broken image links) but the visitors who have seen it appreciated it so much we felt it was time to make the announcement. Please send along your comments and suggestions to myself, kelly.drake@mysticseaport.org or any other members of the CRC staff. We’ll be working toward incorporating user input and adding more and more images to the archive.

Also - don’t forget our Digital Library collection of books, registers and manuscripts. Online at: http://library.mysticseaport.org/initiative/MsList.cfm

Collections Featured in "Classic Yachts" Article

2009-09-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

This months issue of "Classic Yacht" carries a story on just a few of the many gems in our vast collections. You can view the article, some great shots of collection pieces, as well as words of wisdom from the staff at: http://www.classicyachtmag.com/currentissue (article on page 96).

Newest Title

2009-08-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

The ever popular Silas Talbot (Mystic Seaport mss Coll. 18) is one of the early U.S. Naval Commanders featured in Lou Norton's new book Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine . Along with Talbot, this book also looks into the characteristics of Dudley Saltonstall, Joshua Barney, and John Paul Jones and into how their reckless bravado and frequent antagonism toward their fellow officers shaped the new institution.

Another Weekend, Another Hurricane Threat

2009-08-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Hurricane Bill skirted the nearby coast giving us lots of good surfing waves. This weekend we're waiting to see what Danny will bring - and thinking about Hurricanes past. If you want to see what a real hurricane can do - take a look at our photos from the 1938 Hurricane.

The 2009 Williams-Mystic Essay Contest in Honor of Joseph Conrad

2009-08-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport is awarding a $5,000 scholarship for one semester.

Deadline: October 15, 2009

Eligibility: Undergraduates of any major in good academic standing at an accredited college or university are eligible. High school seniors may also submit. Must be interested in spending a future semester at Williams-Mystic, either spring or fall (based on choice and availability), as part of your college career.

The Essay: Submissions of either fiction or nonfiction should be between 1,000-5,000 words.
Submissions may be about any topic and in any genre as long as the ocean or a major body of water is the primary setting or aspect of concern. The essay may be nature writing, environmental or political activism, literary or historic scholarship, or simply good storytelling. (Sorry, no collections of poetry in 2009.)

More information: www.williams.edu/williamsmystic, rk2@williams.edu

Letter to the Collections and Research Library

2009-08-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Mystic Seaport Library and Special Collections,

Thank you very much for your help during our research trip to study pirates this summer. As we are researching the changing meanings of "pirate" throughout history, several aspects of your collections were very helpful to us. On the matter of evolving legal and policy responses to and understandings of piracy, the transcripts of Civil War era trails of Confederate privateers on charges of piracy provided us with excellent empirical evidence of the disputer meaning of 'pirate' during this time.

Equally illuminating in terms of popular cultural understandings of piracy were your collections of pirate stories for children which help us trace the course of the romantization and de-fanging of portrayals of pirates through the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. We really appreciate your help in locating and providing these text for us.

Sincerely,

Researchers from American University
Washington, DC

The CRCs got talent

2009-08-07T03:30:00.000-07:00

Not only did staff members produce this excellent video - they also star in it:

Shakespeare, the Maritime Connection

2009-07-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Mystic Seaport's G. W. Blunt White Library is acknowledged in A Brave Vessel: The True Tale of the Castaways Who Rescued Jamestown and Inspired Shakespeare'sThe Tempest.

But... that's not the only reason to read this newest maritime work. According to Nathaniel Philbrick it is "at once a penetrating work of literary analysis and a riveting historical narrative ... reveals the salty survival tale at the heart of Shakespeare’s New World masterpiece, The Tempest."

The book focuses on William Strachey, an English writer whose works are among the primary sources for the early history of the English colonization of North America, and the 1609 shipwreck of the Sea Venture on the uninhabited island of Bermuda. The survivors eventually reached Virginia after building two small ships during the ten months they spent on the island.

The Desert Connection

2009-07-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

Several images from the Rosenfeld Collection are included in KNPB, a PSB station in Reno, NV's new documentary "Legends of the Lake".

Legends of the Lake looks at the appreciation, beauty, and historical connections that lie beneath the surface of the mahogany rich wonders of classic wooden boats. Set at the Concours d’Elegance in beautiful Lake Tahoe, this 30-minute high-definition, documentary addresses the passion wooden boat owners have for their craft, familial connections, legendary speed kings, hydroplane racers and a history that tie generations together

Pictured here is BABY GAR IV, 1924, #13265F, a view of Gar Wood (r) and Orlin Johnson (l), at the Free-For-All Race during Buffalo Races. Our record says that "Men seen wearing formal dress, bowties, and jackets with tails. The formal dress was worn in protest of the comment made that Gar Wood 's racing was not for "gentlemen". Gar Wood was a famous hydroplane racer and boat builder. Orlin Johnson worked side-by-side with Gar Wood readying Wood's boats, testing them and racing them for many years. Orlin is pictured here as the mechanic."

Marine Engine Collection of Mystic Seaport Database

2009-07-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Marine Engine Collection of Mystic Seaport contains over 280 unique representations of marine engines. As a result of a cooperative effort between the Shipyard and Collections Departments a database containing information and images of all those wonderful engines in now online. http://library.mysticseaport.org/msca/engineindex.cfm

Spanning the years from 1880 - 1980 the collection includes inboards and outboards that are steam, electric, gas, diesel and naptha powered and built by over 30 manufactures. Visitors can browse the engine photos, or browse the collection by Make, Type or Builder. There is also a search option.

Pictured here is one of the earliest engines in the collection, a small, single cylinder marine steam engine, Stephenson link reverse, with spoked hand wheel, shaft flange and pumps driven from the crosshead. Appears to be a Murray & Tregurtha product from the late 1800's to early 1900's.

According to Stan Grayson's book, American Marine Engines: 1885-1950 the first marine engine was developed “sometime in 1887 or 1888” by Henry Peterson who owned a fleet of Whitehalls operating on the San Francisco waterfront.

Fish Facts for the Fourth

2009-06-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

It was the efforts of the British government to restrict New England fishing, and fishing commerce that started the Revolution not, as you've been led to believe tea and "taxation without representation." And Christopher Magra's written the book to prove it. The Fisherman's Cause: Atlantic Commerce and Maritime Dimensions of the American Revolution details how:

The cumulative effect of British efforts to restrict and regulate New England's commercial expansion along the Atlantic contributed to a rising conviction among colonists that the British state actively opposed their right to use the sea for commercial purposes.
The British 1775 "New England Trade and Fisheries Act", which restricted the fisheries was considered by members of the House of Lords to "declaring war [against the colonies]."
The fishing industry enabled the quick mobilization of the first American navy both with manpower and privateers.
Fishing vessels smuggled in most of the ammunition used by American forces.
Fishermen filled the ranks and provided invaluable and unique services.

And did you know, that during the famous crossing of the Delaware in 1776 General Henry Knox recalled that the crossing was led by the "fishermen of marblehead, alike at home upon land or water."

Just goes to show, once again, that American history is maritime history.

I Love the CRC

2009-06-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

The American Library Association is showcasing the Mystic Seaport Collections Research Center at ilovelibraries.org. The article written by Tom Newman, and originally published in the Connecticut Libraries newsletter was picked up by the ALA because of the Library's unique nature, or as Mr. Newman puts it, because it is a:

research center where everything maritime, from manuscripts to fine art, exists together in one location. The Mystic Seaport Collections Research Center is not just a library, or an archive, or a museum, it is all of these things.

In addition to a great description of all the resources contained in the Research Center the article also features a favorite image from the collection: The Crossing the Line Ceremony from "A picturesque voyage to India : by the way of China." by Thomas Daniell, B.A., and William Daniell, A.R.A London :1810

ILoveLibraries.org, is the American Library Association's (ALA's) website for the public, designed to keep America informed about what's happening in today's libraries, which are found in public, school, academic, corporate and institutional settings.

Oysters and Oyster Farming

2009-06-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell is an enjoyable read on the history of Oysters. Related from the standpoint of New York City's relationship with the ever popular bivalve it does, however, tend to neglect Connecticut's rich oyster growing history.

Fear not fans of the Collections! The following items both preserve and tell more of the story:

HFM 31; Maps of Oyster Grounds, 1910,1920 and 1924 -
The Life History of the Oyster: Goodes
Records of Jeremiah Smith & Sons (Coll. 185)
Collection of Charles E. Palmer (Coll. 149)
Collection of Howard W. Beach (Coll. 139)
Eric T. Ball Papers (Coll. 73)
Oystering Collection (Coll. 121)

WoodenBoat Show

2009-06-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

The Collections Research Center is ready for WoodenBoat, offering two days of expanded access to the ships plans collection and ships plans research. Visitors please be sure to stop by this Thursday and Friday from 10-5.

Annual Used Book Sale

2009-06-16T11:50:00.001-07:00

The Fellows of the G.W. Blunt White Library will be presenting their annual used book sale in the G.W. Blunt White Building on the Museum grounds on Saturday, June 27 from 11 to 4 p.m.

There will be over 600, mostly nautical books for sale. The sale is styled as a "Dutch Auction" with prices being reduced as the day goes on from $10 at 11 a.m to $2 at 3 p.m. There will also be 125 special books starting at $15.

There will be over 300 nautical quarterly magazines for $3 apiece and some 500 free periodicals and other free books at both entrances to the Museum.

Visitor Notices

2009-06-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Please note the following as they apply to the Research Room:

June 26th - Open but with Woodenboat in town we expect to be very busy.
July 3rd - Closed for the 4th of July holiday.

Mapping the Pacific

2009-06-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

This month's staff pick is a chart/sketch of the "Gulf of California drawn from the surveys made by the Spanish Officers and pilots of St. Blas" the chart details soundings, tracks, anchorages as well as missions and towns. The sketch is from Coll 304, v. 7, of The William T. Skiddy Collection.
and can be viewed in the Collections Research Room. Pictured on the left is another harbor sketch by Skiddy showing the Bay of Pisco on the coast of Peru.

William T. Skiddy was an artist, naval architect, Captain and an entrepreneur. In 1805 at the age of ten he signed on as a cabin boy aboard the packet ship the ROSE-IN-BLOOM. After a voyage to Charleston, S.C. he returned to New York City and become an assistant steward for his step-father, John R. Skiddy, a ship captain of Stamford and New York.

With the exception of his three years of schooling in France he stayed in the merchant service until 1812. He then spent eight months as a prisoner of war when the crew of the Brig STEPHEN was captured by the British frigate ANDROMACHE. The day after his release he joined the US Navy and received his Midshipman's commission from President Madison. Captain James Lawrence ordered him to report to the HORNET as a master-mate where he served under the command of Captain James Biddle for the duration of the war.

In 1816 he returned to merchant service where he was given the command of the ship MARIA THERESA. He was in the South Pacific during the blockade of Callao by Lord Cochrane, at which time he ran the blockade and brought away the Spanish Viceroy of Peru.

During his many voyages along the Pacific coast he surveyed and charted many of the ports he visited including the Gulf of California chart selected as this months Staff Pick.

In 1844 he entered into the naval construction business with his half-brother Francis. Soon after he was appointed by the US government to superintend the construction of the Collins steamers, which were used as mail steamers.

During his life at sea, Capt. Skiddy kept a journal, and at some point in his life he transcribed them into two volumes entitled "The Ups and Downs of a Sea Life from 1805" which are excellent description of life at sea are also part of Mystic Seaport's wonderful collections.

Mystic Seaport Whaleboat Featured in new Smithsonian Maritime Exhibit

2009-06-03T07:20:00.001-07:00

The National Museum of American History’s newest exhibit “On the Water, Stories from Maritime America” features a 8,500-square-foot exhibition hall dedicated to the exploration of America’s maritime heritage. In a recent interview, Museum Director Brent D. Glass explained that “The maritime influence on American history is one of the most compelling chapters in the national story,” and we couldn’t agree more.

Among the highlighted objects on display are Mystic Seaports’ own whale boat (1958.690), and a highly detailed model cutaway of the modern factory trawler “Alaska Ocean” by recent exhibitor and world class model maker Erik R. Ronnberg Jr.

If you can’t make it to Washington soon, the companion Web site to “On the Water” contains the same historical content as the physical exhibition. The site also features a searchable database that provides additional information and photographs for selected artifacts in the exhibition. Multimedia resources and educational activities, including an associated Flickr group where visitors can upload their own maritime-related imagery, round out the online experience.

New England Regional Fellowship Consortium News

2009-06-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Two winners of the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium Fellowship contest will be conducting research at the Library this year. Michael Block from the University of Southern California will be researching New England Merchants, the China Trade, and the Origins of California and John Wong from Harvard University, whose focus is Global Positioning: China Trade and the Hong Merchants of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

The Consortium, which includes institution such as the Baker Library (Harvard, the Boston Athenæum, Bostonian Society, Maine Historical Society and the Mass. Historical Society hands out 10 $5,000 Fellowships each year with fellows required to visit at least 3 institutions for two weeks apiece for research.

Tattoo Exhibit Makes New York Times

2009-05-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday's New York Times reviewed Independence Seaport's great exhibit "Skin & Bones: Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor". The review does an excellent job of explaining the history and tattoo, especially in the maritime world. While not mentioned in the article the exhibit does contain a number of items loaned from Mystic Seaport's Collections including the C. H. Fellowes sketchbook.

Slideshow of images from the exhibit.

Season of Song and Sloops

2009-05-21T05:14:00.000-07:00

Just as the Museum is gearing up for Sea Music, a new book on Pete Seegar has been released. To Everything There is a Season: Pete Seegar and the Power of Song "describes how folk singer Pete Seeger applied his musical talents to improve conditions for less fortunate people everywhere. This book uses Seeger's long life and wonderful songs to reflect on the important role folk music played in various protest movements and to answer such fundamental questions as: What was the source of Seeger's appeal? How did he capture the attention and affection of people around the world? And why is song such a powerful medium?"

The book also relates how it was "a young man at Connecticut's Mystic Seaport" that helped Pete find naval architect Cy Hamlin and design the iconic Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

More Visitors

2009-05-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

The CRC was visited today by a group of world renown scrimshaw authorities who were wrapping up their tour of the East Coast scrimshaw collections at New Bedford, Nantucket, Sag Harbor and Cold Springs. The Visitors were especially impressed by the range and uniqueness of Mystic's collection including a set of walrus tusks carved by members of the USN Polar Exploration team aboard the JEANETTE, and an elephant tusk section engraved with a scene of a the "slaver SHARK."

Maritime Connections- Cornelius Vanderbilt

2009-05-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Newly released, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, is getting lots of rave reviews. This 736 page book details the life and impact of a man who began his career as a boatman and ended up as America's first big tycoon. Hopefully this book will also cover the huge impact Vanderbilt had on yachting. From racing to yacht design to commuters, Vanderbilt was a major force in the development of the sport. (Actually, if it doesn't, this book is missing a great deal).

Formally posed image of Cornelius Vanderbilt III (1873-1942) standing posed on the deck of, most likely, his new steam yacht, NORTH STAR, which was bought in 1903. Commodore Vanderbilt is dressed in formal yacht clothing holding a telescope crooked in one arm. Commodore Vanderbilt was commodore of the New York Yacht Club from 1906-1908. B.1984.187.457

Antiques Road Show Debut

2009-05-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

Three paintings from the Collections were featured on last night's "Antiques Road Show". These included the Jennie R. Dubois by S. M.F. Badger, the "New York Yacht Club Race, 1875" by James Buttersworth, and John S. Blunt's painting of the 74 gun ship America.

Thanks go to Michael O'Farrell for lining up the "Show", and Maribeth Bielinski and Krystal Kornegay for doing all of the research and the legwork.

2009-05-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

A sextant belonging to Captain James Earle, master of the Charles W. Morgan during nine of her voyages between 1890 and 1908, was recently given to the Museum. The sextant and case was a generous donation from a gentleman from Georgia who acquired it years earlier at an auction of the Barbara Johnson Whaling Collection. Barbara Johnson's collection was known as one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) private whaling collections ever assembled. We are ecstatic to have this new piece added to the Museum's collection while the Morgan is being restored.

Distinguished Visitors

2009-05-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, May 5th, 30 archivist from China, in association with a program hosted by Yale University, visited the Collections Research Center to learn about Mystic Seaport's manuscript cataloging practices and view items from the Rare Book and Manuscripts Collection.

They were particularly interested in items relating to China Trade such as the Opium papers in the Howard A. Krumwiede Collection and the early folios. (As are we all!)

New Book

2009-05-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Fisherman's Cause: Atlantic Commerce and Maritime Dimensions of the American Revolution is described as "In the first book-length examination of the connections between the commercial fishing industry in colonial America and the American Revolution, Christopher Magra places the origins and progress of this formative event in a wider Atlantic context. The Fisherman's Cause utilizes extensive research from archives in the United States [including Mystic Seaport], Canada, and the U.K. in order to take this Atlantic approach."

New Hours

2009-05-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Beginning the week of May 4, 2009 the Collections Access and Research Room will be open for Independent, Visiting Researchers:

10:00-5:00 Thursday and Friday.

To better serve our visitors we strongly encourage a call or email ahead.

Closure

2009-04-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Collections Access Room is temporarily unavailable, reopening on May 8. Please excuse the interruption in service while we update our processes and schedule to insure excellent ongoing collections access. We will post an update as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Sincerely,
The Collections Research Center Staff

Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Power in Maritime America

2009-04-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

The Papers from the Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Power in Maritime America Conference Held at Mystic Seaport, September 2006, are now available. The book contains 12 papers, "all offer a wide range of ways in which gender, race and ethnicity are entwined and redefined in the context of the sea."

I was lucky enough to attend many of the sessions represented in the book. They were good then, but it is excellent now to have such detailed scholarship in print. From Jason Mancini's exploration of the previously hidden nature of Native American involvement in maritime occupations from 1713-1861, to Deanne Nuwer's discussion of the vital role played by women in Biloxi's seafood industry from 1863 to the present, the papers represent the range and depth of the maritime experience and the historical work undertaken to understand it.

Costumes of the Mediterranean - Misc. Vol. 464

2009-04-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

Now Online - Book containing hand colored drawings by Edward C. Young. Drawn in 1830, images include the costumes of several nationalities as seen in a number of Mediterranean ports, primarily Smyrna, Turkey. Clergy, military, merchants, townspeople, and servants of the Sultan's court are pictured as well the USS Concord's, Sergeant, Band Member and Boatswains Mate.

New Title

2009-03-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

Just released today, I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime, and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech, extensively cites Mystic Seaport's Origins of Sea Terms.

Who knew that sea slag would be retro! This new book explores popular terms such as "cut and run" which evolved from the habit of sailor who needed to leave the harbor so quickly, they would cut the lines and run, and many others.

News from Cataloging Services

2009-03-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share with you some of the exciting collections newly available, thanks to our dedicated volunteers and staff. These collection registers can be viewed online from the Manuscript Collection Register page (http://library.mysticseaport.org/manuscripts/registers2.cfm) and our Access team is always ready to help or answer your questions. They can be reached by phone (572-5367), e-mail (collections@mysticseaport.org), or by visiting Wednesday through Friday, 10-5 in the Access Reading Room in the CRC.

Philip LeBoutillier Collection (Coll. 352): 1932-1953, consists of four scrapbooks and loose papers containing newspaper and magazine clippings, letters, photographs, brochures, sail race results and banquet menus as well as racing history pertaining to several yachts owned by yachstman, businessman and philanthropist Philip LeBoutillier (1880-1972) including STORMY WEATHER (built 1934), VIKING (built 1930), ALSUMAR (built 1930) and NANCY (built 1932).

Philip LeBoutillier (Oct. 20, 1880 - Feb. 1, 1972) was a New York yachtsman, businessman and philanthropist whose 54-foot yawl, STORMY WEATHER, won both the trans-Atlantic Newport-to-Bergen race and the Fastnet in 1935, and, in 1936, was the Bermuda Race Class A winner. Besides STORMY WEATHER, designed by Sparkman & Stephens in 1933/34, LeBoutillier owned and captained VIKING, a 49-foot cutter designed by F. Jay Wells in 1930; ALSUMAR, a 44-foot auxiliary sloop (30 meter class) designed by Sparkman & Stephens in 1930, and , as part of the Seawanhaka-Corinthian Syndicate, the six-meter sloop, NANCY, built in 1932.

Yachting lore has it that LeBoutillier had not decided on a name for what would become STORMY WEATHER as she was being built at the Henry B. Nevins Yard, City Island, New York in late 1933 and into '34. However, just before launching, LeBoutillier and friends were at a club in Montauk, Long Island, and listened as a young singer delivered a song that much appealed to him. He called the singer over to his table and asked her to sing it again. Lena Horne agreed, and the song, "Stormy Weather," made a name for LeBoutillier's new yawl as it did for Lena Horne.

LeBoutiller also had been asked by the original owner of ALSUMAR not to keep that sloop's name because it was derived from the names of the first owner's wife and two daughters. LeBoutillier politely declined to accede to the first owner's wishes, saying he was superstitious about changing the original name of a horse, a dog or, as it happened, a boat.

At the height of his business career, LeBoutiller was president of Best & Co., a department store specializing in women's clothing and children's wear. He was known for his generous wage and salary policies and for promoting from within. As the New York Times said in its obituary of LeBoutillier, published on Feb. 2, 1972: "He set up one of the first pension plans for employes as early as 1919, and few workers left Best & Co., with many continuing after marriage and with the arrival of children."

LeBoutillier was also regarded for his philanthropy, particularly his work for underprivileged boys. According to the Times, he raised $600,000 for the Boys' Club of New York, and was an organizer of the National Child Labor Committee, a group opposed to child labor.

He resided on East 70th St. in New York and Lake Placid, NY, and died in a nursing home in 1972 in Greenwich, CT.

Noank Shipyard Collection (Coll. 353): 1943-2000, of the Noank Shipyard in Connecticut. Includes a variety of manuscript materials and newspaper clippings. The manuscript materials contain information concerning boating safety legislation and taxes, correspondence, bills of sale for vessels purchased by the yard and miscellaneous drawings and notes. The clippings cover topics including Noank and Groton, Connecticut history, the development of the shipyard and its purchase by Donald Singer in 1964, the EMMA C. BERRY, the Noank Historical Society and their work, Tropical Storm Doria, the beaching of a whale in Noank, other miscellaneous boats and topics, zoning disputes over the expansion of the yard and finally its sale.

The Noank Shipyard was originally organized by brothers John and Robert Palmer in 1850. Both had previously worked with their father John Palmer Sr.at various locations around Noank. The new shipyard was officially named "R. & J. Palmer" but was generally referred to by locals as simply the "Palmer yard." Robert took full control of the company in 1879 after his brother's death and then brought his own son Robert Jr. into partnership in 1880. The yard was then officially renamed Robert Palmer and Son Shipbuilding and Marine Railway Company. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the shipyard was the largest facility for building and repair of wooden vessels in southern New England, employing over 300 men. The yard specialized in building railroad car floats, schooner barges, and dump scows as well as fishing smacks. Robert Palmer and Son went out of business in 1914 with the passing of the Robert Jr. who was also known in Noank as "Deacon" Palmer because of his close and active connections to the Noank Baptist church. During World War I the yard was reactivated by the Groton Iron Works but fell into general disuse until another resurgence of activity during World War II. After the second world war the yard once again fell into disrepair until Donald Singer purchased it in 1964. Singer turned the old shipyard into a model marina catering to the post war boom in pleasure boating. After a series of zoning disputes Singer sold the Noank shipyard in 1980. Today, under new ownership, the Noank Shipyard is still a very active marina and repair facility and remains, as was the case with it's predecessors, a focal point of life in the village of Noank.

Primary Sources Online

2009-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Navigation Workbook, ca. 1820, of Joseph Robinson is now online at the request of the Education Department who plans to use the workbook as part of an off-site math class. The workbook contains rules and problems for plane, traverse, Mercator's current and middle latitude sailing, instructions for keeping a journal, description and use of Hadley's quadrant, use of log line and half-minute glass, rules for correcting dead reckoning, illustration, and sketches. It also has some great drawings. (this one of the mariners compass is now my desktop background)

Making Freedom: the Extraordinary Life of Venture Smith

2009-03-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

The Collections have again been tapped for a ground breaking book: Making Freedom: The Extraordinary Life of Venture Smith (Includes Bibliographical References and Index) "is the first in-depth exploration of the life of Venture Smith (1728–1805), a New England slave who was sold into bondage as a boy in Africa and labored for nearly a quarter-century before purchasing his own freedom and transforming himself into a highly respected American citizen." Many of the events in this remarkable life all took place within 50 miles of Mystic Seaport and in addition to revealing the trials of 18th century slavery also tell a story of how integral the maritime experience was to the local inhabitants.

Fee Increase

2009-03-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

As of March 18, 2009, the following fees apply to Collection products and research:

Ships Plan copy $40.00/sheet
Personal research $50.00/hour
Commercial research: $75.00/hour

All order taken prior to March 18th will be processed at the previous rate.

Hear the Boat Sing

2009-03-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Goran Buckhorn, Mystic Seaport's rowing expert, started a blog dedicated to rowing last week. In Goran's own words the blog will cover "all aspects of the rich history of rowing, as a sport, culture phenomena, a life style, and a necessary element to keep your wit and stay sane." So far his posts have reviewed some great books on rowing history.

This weekend he posted on the National Rowing Hall of Fame, located in the G.W. Blunt White building.

Bond of Union: Building the Erie Canal and the American Empire

2009-03-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Just out today, Gerard Koeppel's newest book Bond of Union: Building the Erie Canal and the American Empire delves deeply into the promoters and politicians who brought the canal into existence, and most importantly includes references to MSM's diary of Christopher Prince, 1821-1825. The diary is part of the Records of the American Seamen's Friend Society.

Joffre (schooner) located

2009-03-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

Reputedly a sister ship of the L. A. Dunton, the Joffre has been discovered off the coast of Gloucester. Like the Dunton, the Joffre was designed by renowned naval architect Thomas F. McManus, and built at the Arthur D. Story of Essex, MA. Unlike the Dunton her career ended when her engine caught fire as she was returning to Gloucester, MA on the evening of 9 August 1947 and She subsequently sunk. For more information...

The New London Jibboom Club

2009-03-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

Bill Peterson's, the Collections' Carl C. Cutler Chair of Maritime History, history of New London's seaman's fraternal organization is featured this month in the Hog River Journal.

North American Society of Oceanic Historians (NASOH)

2009-02-28T06:10:00.001-08:00

Registration for annual conference (13-17 May 2009) of the North American
Society of Oceanic Historians (NASOH) is now live. Please visit www.nasoh.org
for full registration details.

News from Cataloging Services

2009-02-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

Newly cataloged items from the Daniel S. Gregory Ships Plans Library include construction detail illustrations of the CHARLES W. MORGAN by noted marine artist and one-time staff member Kathy L. Bray. These exquisite and highly detailed illustrations are not only works of art but they offer documentation of original construction techniques used on the CHARLES W. MORGAN in addition to providing guidance to museum shipwrights during on-going restoration projects today. You can view the images online at http://mobius.mysticseaport.org/info.php?s=sp.1986.40.60.&type=all&t=objects.

Rudder Magazine Online!

2009-02-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

Right now, at that very computer under your fingertips, you can view the first edition of Rudder Magazine. Published in 1890 this edition is the first of many that Mystic Seaport will be putting online. As to the final format, that is under discussion. Please page through, think about the possibilities and make suggestions.

Taking the Sea: Perilous Waters, Sunken Ships, and the True Story of the Legendary Wrecker Captains

2009-02-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

Dennis M. Power's newest book, Taking the Sea: Perilous Waters, Sunken Ships, and the True Story of the Legendary Wrecker Captains, tells the story of the wreckers, men who "faced the savage seas to save foundering ships and frightened passengers."

By the mid-19th century, an intrepid, reckless group of men ruled the ocean. Known as “wreckers,” they earned their living by rescuing and raising sunken ships, even in the face of monstrous waves and fierce weather. To some, they were heroes, helping to rescue both passengers and ships with courage and skill. To others they were ruthless pirates, who exploited these shipwrecks purely for their treasure.

Powers introduction gives a shout out to Amy German and Wendy Schnur for their assistance in researching the book, especially their help with material on Merritt, Scott and Chapman, of which there is a great deal in the Collections.

Mothers of the Sea - Female Lighthouse Keepers

2009-02-15T04:58:00.000-08:00

Mystic Seaport's Bethany Bromwell is the proud new author of Mothers of the Sea: Female Lighthouse Keepers and Their Image and Role Within Society ,
the definitive work on women lighthouse keepers.

Lighthouses are an endearing symbol of our nation's nautical past. However, these structures are quickly disappearing from the landscape and with them often go their history and the important part that they played in the development of the United States. The stories of the men and women who cared for these structures during their times of use are also lost. This book examines the often overlooked role of the female lighthouse keeper. Female keepers were women who took on a traditionally masculine position. They held a government job and performed intense physical labor at a time when women were considered incapable of such jobs. This study examines the history of individual female lighthouse keepers and the contributions they made within the context of maritime history and public policy, as these issues related to American and British society over the last 200 years. It also considers the affects that governmental changes had on these women and what role they have played in popular culture both in the past and today.

As a past, fascinating, and informative presenter at the Maritime Lunchure, Bethany graduated from Gettysburg College in 2006 where she majored in History. In May, 2008 she graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a Masters in Public History. She currently works at Mystic Seaport where she continues to research women and the sea.

New Additions to Philip L. Rhodes manuscript collection

2009-02-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

New additions to the Philip L. Rhodes manuscript collection (Coll. 312) include design data notebooks that contain drawings and measurements and calculations for weight, size, displacement, and speed for many of his designs. This manuscript material complements the time line of the material contained within the Philip L. Rhodes ships plans collection (SP Coll. 80).

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

In the popular imagination, sailors’ valentines (like scrimshaw) were made aboard ship by homesick seamen who occupied their dog watch leisure time fabricating intricate patterns with shells they had collected on exotic beaches. Although mariners did collect shells during their travels, most sailors’ valentines were made from fewer than twenty varieties of shells, usually all of which are found in the West Indies. Research on the styles and composition of sailors` valentines indicates that most of the pieces popularly called sailors’ valentines were, in fact, made in the West Indies—particularly Barbados—and purchased there by visitors, whether they were sailors or travelers for pleasure. Thus, most were neither sailor—made nor strictly St. Valentines Day gifts.

Read more....

And another good book

2009-01-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

Dr. Joshua Smith, a long time associate of the collections has just published Voyages, the Age of Sail: Documents in American Maritime History, Volume I, 1492-1865. Described by Christopher P. Magra, California State University at Northridge as "An indispensable resource for anyone interested in teaching American maritime history. This well-organized and edited collection of primary documents will significantly advance students' knowledge of the fundamental role the sea has played in our nation's past." This volume promises to be a welcome addition to all maritime collections.

The Physics of Annie

2009-01-29T06:23:00.000-08:00

Physics Professor John Kimball of Albany University licensed a photo of our sandbagger ANNIE for use in illustrating his new “Physics of Sailing” textbook. The piece on ANNIE is about alternative methods of maintaining boat balance and also promotes ANNIE’s part in the Watercraft Collection at Mystic Seaport.

In Print

2009-01-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

Mystic Seaport gets a shout out from David R. Mandell in the John Hopkins University press book Tribe, Race, History: Native Americans in Southern New England, 1780--1880 (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) as we "graciously provided a copy of the Seaport's database of New London Crew Lists."

Ships Plans Collection Featured in Classic Yacht Magazine

2009-01-27T11:20:00.000-08:00

This month's edition of Classic Yacht features an article on the Ships Plans Collection on pages 84-89.

Whalemen's Shipping List

2009-01-23T08:56:00.001-08:00

In association with the National Maritime Digital Library, Mystic Seaport is happy to present for research, pdf versions of the Whalemen's Shipping List, first published in 1843 with the "...latest advices of every vessel engaged in the Whaling business, together with the prices current of our staple commodities, and interesting items of commercial intelligence." Whalemen’s shipping list, and merchant’s transcript, Mar. 17, 1843. The List was the main source of information on American whaling vessels throughout the second half of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries.

To access the issue that interests you, click on the year from the list. A menu of months available for that year will appear below the list of years. Click on the issue that interests you and wait for the pdf to load. (Works best with Mozilla Firefox)

We hope that this newspaper will become a valuable online research tool, used in conjunction with The American Offshore Whaling Voyage (AOWV) database also found on www.nmdl.org and compiled by members of World Whaling History. Please contact us regarding any discrepancies or thoughts in general at nmdlibrary@gmail.com

Records of Concordia Company (Coll. 350)

2009-01-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Records of Concordia Company, 1938-2001, are now available for use in the Collections Research Center. Concordia Company was founded by Llewellyn Howland in 1926. In 1932 Llewellyn transferred the company to his son Waldo, and Marblehead racing celebrity, C. Raymond Hunt. Most famous for their yawls, all but four were built by Abeking & Rasmussen, Concordia Company plays a vital role in yachting history. They continue to design and build boats today.

The collection includes records for twenty-three 17' sloops, ninety-eight yawls, and twenty-three other boats. Within these boat folders are correspondence between owners and Concordia Company as well as sketches, bills, invoices and many miscellaneous items. The collection also includes business correspondence with Abeking & Rasmussen, Fenwick Williams, and C. Raymond Hunt among others, bills of sale, building contracts, notes, IOR ratings, and other miscellaneous records.

These records complement items in the Daniel S. Gregory Ships Plans Library and general collection. There is a plethora of information for owners, researchers, and anyone who loves Concordia and her designs. For more information on accessing these records please contact the Collections and Research Department of Mystic Seaport at 860-572-5367 or collections@mysticseaport.org http://library.mysticseaport.org/manuscripts/coll/coll350.cfm

Maritime Author Series

2009-01-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Melville scholar and sailor Dr. Mary K. Bercaw Edwards will discuss her book, Cannibal Old Me: Spoken Sources in Melville's Early Works
, which describes the various languages that Herman Melville encountered in the South Pacific which later impacted his many works, including Moby-Dick at the opening session of 2009 the Maritime Authors Series at Mystic Seaport Wednesday, January 28.

Call for Papers -

2009-01-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

Mystic Seaport is seeking paper proposals to be presented at the Music of the Sea Symposium, held June 12-13, during the Museum’s Sea Music Festival. Submission deadline is March 13. Selected papers must be submitted in final form by May 8.

The symposium celebrates the lives and work of sailors through musical performance. Paper topics should focus on history, folklore, literature, ethnomusicology or other appropriate disciplines addressing any aspect of maritime music or inland waters verse from the great age of sail through present day.

Complete Call for Papers.

James Monroe (Brig)

2009-01-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

Now online, the logs for a coastal voyage of the Brig James Monroe. 1815 April 23-June 8 and 1815 July 25-September 6.

These logs are one of a small collection the museum holds of oversized logs, usually loosely bound in sailcloth. The large size along with the very small handwriting of the keeper, present a problem for viewing on the web but readers can still make out most of the entries.

Digitization was generously sponsored by a generous grant from one of our patrons.

Collections Research Center Haiku

2008-12-29T07:16:00.000-08:00

the c.r.c

collections are here
models and ships and scrimshaw
mimsy can find them

-Krystal Kornegay

Thanksgiving Quotes from Manuscripts

2008-11-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

Nov 1849 Wednes 28th My birth day I lay in my berth all day got some gruel in the PM which made me feel better it rained most all day I got some Sage Tea for my Supper. the Ship leaked some & went 9 knots today one of the Steerage Pas had 2 galls of Brandy stolen I expect that it was wanted by some one for Thanksgiving Lat 35:47 Long 56:14 Willard Childs - on the Reindeer enroute to San Francisco

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day Nov 28. Two weeks ago we looked forward to Thanksgiving Day as when we should perhaps be in, but light winds and calms have delayed us . E. has a holiday and I have only got one lesson, the last till we leave port. Today has seemed like Saturday to me; I do not know why. The weather still continues quite warm.{1889/11/28} Friday, Nov. 29. It is perceptibly cooler today. I have had a little sore throat today but it will not last long. We had the trunks out today and afterwards I ironed or pressed out one dress. The dresses are all very much creased. I am terribly tired. feel more like going to bed than anything else. Calista Stover en route to China.

Dear Father: Thank you for you letter of November 12. [1934] I certainly appreciate your thinking of me on the eleventh and I, too, thought of a great many happy birthdays spent at Bristol.I am going to try hard to come down at Thanksgiving time and then we can talk over some more about the comparison of Endeavour and Rainbow. L. F. Herreshoff to N.G. Herreshoff

More from Dan...

2008-11-18T11:57:00.000-08:00

I uploaded another video to YouTube last Friday. This one was put together for the America and the Sea Award Gala and focuses on our flagships. The video was written and narrated by Mike O'Farrell and edited by myself. You can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEJRzhh83TU. Enjoy!