Category: Press Releases

Museum Open to the Public for Free after 1 p.m. Oct. 31

Mystic Seaport will resume normal operation and be open to visitors on Thursday, November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, the Museum will open its grounds and exhibits to visitors for free from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 31.

Recovery from Hurricane Sandy is nearly complete and the Museum’s exhibits, historic vessels, and village will be open and available for visitors. Food service, the Mystic Seaport Stores, the Bake Shop, and the Maritime Art Gallery are dependent on the local power status and may not be open.

Tonight’s Halloween Trick or Treat activity is cancelled. However, the 7 p.m. presentation by champion sailor Ken Read will go on as scheduled. The talk has been moved to the Greenmanville Meeting House on the Museum grounds. Visitors are directed to use the north entrance next to Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern to get to the event.

People should monitor the Museum’s website, Facebook and Twitter feeds for updates on hours and scheduled programs.

Website:              https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/
Facebook:           https://www.facebook.com/mysticseaport
Twitter:                @mysticseaport 

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four national Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant vessel in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Historic Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Safe and Sound

Mystic Seaport emerged from Hurricane Sandy with no damage to its collections and negligible damage to its buildings and grounds.

The Museum’s historic watercraft sustained no damage. Many were hauled out of the water in advance of the storm. Those that were left in were carefully secured and rode out the high winds and storm surge with no difficulty.

The 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, currently out of the water in the Museum’s shipyard for a multi-year restoration, received no damage from Sandy.

The storm surge on the Mystic River briefly rose above the waterfront’s bulkhead and flooded the village green and some of the adjacent roads, but it did not reach into the historic buildings. There were some wet foundations and basements that will need drying out and the grounds will need to be cleared of debris.

The Museum’s Collections Research Center was untouched. The Center houses the institution’s more than two million historic artifacts and documents.

“We are very pleased with the way the Museum emerged from Hurricane Sandy,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “Once again our staff executed our emergency plan flawlessly, and as a result we essentially suffered no damage from the storm.”

The Museum is currently closed, but anticipates reopening for public visitors as early as noon as Wednesday once the grounds are cleaned up and reconfigured for visitation. People should monitor the Museum’s website, Facebook and Twitter feed for updates on opening hours and scheduled programs.

Website:              https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/
Facebook:           https://www.facebook.com/mysticseaport
Twitter:                @mysticseaport

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four national Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant vessel in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Mystic Seaport is pleased to name Tom Brillat the Museum’s new Director of Interpretation.

Brillat has been an Interpreter at the Museum for the past three years. In his new role, he will oversee the day-to-day management and strategic planning of the Interpretation Department, which is responsible for the programs and activities that interpret America’s maritime history across the Museum, including the 19^th-century village and the formal exhibit galleries.

“Tom is distinguished by his first-hand experience working with the public and in the contemporary maritime world, as well as his commitment to historical accuracy, creative presentation style and engaging programs,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “We are impressed by the way he can make history come alive for our visitors.”

Prior to joining Mystic Seaport, Brillat has served as Executive Director of the Tall Ship Bounty Foundation, President of Educational Exchange in Wakefield, RI, and Executive Director of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling.

Brillat graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in history and earned an M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. He also holds a teacher certification from Providence College and a Non-Profit Management Certificate from Columbia University.

Brillat lives in Richmond, Rhode Island with his wife Susan.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the country’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

A Spooky Halloween Event for the Entire Family

Mystic Seaport will open its Halloween event, Sights & Frights, on Friday, October 19. The family-friendly production offers haunted Halloween fun for all ages.

Performance nights are October 19-20 and 26-27, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Visitors can walk the decorated grounds of the Museum’s 19th-century village to encounter spooky locations and activities. Storytellers will tell tales of maritime misfortune, the schooner L.A. Dunton will be converted into a haunted ship, roving characters will entertain or frighten, and tradespeople in the shops will be manufacturing items of a creepy nature.

Family activities include mask-making, face-painting, temporary tattoos, free horse-and-carriage rides, and live music of a slightly sinister nature from the Museum’s chantey staff. Children are encouraged to dress in costume and are invited to participate in a nightly parade at 7:30 p.m.

New this year is a pumpkin patch filled with elaborately carved jack-o-lanterns and a free planetarium show, “Whoo’s Up in the Night Sky?”

The experience is self-guided and all “scary” activities are located inside, permitting families with young children to avoid them.

Tickets are $13 ($12 for Museum members). Children three and under are admitted for free. Advance tickets are strongly recommended and can be purchased at mysticseaport.org/sightsandfrights or by calling 860.572.5322 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the event.

Sights & Frights is recommended for all ages. Not all portions of the production are wheelchair accessible. Visitors will be walking outdoors and are encouraged to dress appropriately.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last remaining wooden whaleship in the world. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Inspirational speaker Sarah Everhart Skeels will kick off the 2012-2013 Adventure Series with her presentation “Pushing the Boundaries to Engage Life” at Mystic Seaport Thursday, October 18.

Skeels sustained a spinal cord injury after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle. She has been paralyzed from the chest down and living life from a wheelchair for 22 years.

However, determined not to let her misfortune impair her enjoyment of life, she concluded life doesn’t end after disability; it just continues in a different way. Since the accident she has hand-cycled across the United States, swum across the span of the Newport Bay Bridge, voyaged off Guadeloupe, and has gone scuba diving in Bonaire. She is a volunteer adaptive-skiing instructor and is an avid sailor. Skeels will discuss her adaptation to her disability, living life on her terms, and how pushing boundaries helps to determine character.

Presentations will be given at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the River Room at Latitude 41° Restaurant.

The Mystic Seaport Adventure Series runs once a month from October 2012 through April 2013. Individual tickets are $14 ($12 for members) for the afternoon presentation and $15 ($13 for members) for the evening presentation. Tickets are available online at https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or by calling 860.572.5322.

The series will continue Thursday, November 15, with Laurel Schultheis recounting her pilgrimage in Spain along the Basque region’s El Camino De Santiago (The Way of St. James).

For more information, visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/. 

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the country’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Show to Feature Finest Works of Contemporary Marine Art in the Country

The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport opens the 33rd Annual International Marine Art Exhibition and Sale Sunday, September 23.

The International is the most comprehensive collection of contemporary marine art in the United States. More than 100 award-winning artists from around the globe will present their most recent work. Represented in this show are exceptional paintings, drawings, sculpture, scrimshaw, and ship models. The show is a commemoration of America’s maritime heritage with both intricately researched historical scenes and contemporary images that document the relationship of man to the sea.

“Every year we strive to find the best work in the marine field and bring it to our Gallery at Mystic Seaport,” said Jeanne Potter, Director of the Maritime Gallery. “The show is a wonderful opportunity to view–and purchase–the latest and finest efforts from the most accomplished marine artists working today.”

Participating artists include Donald Demers, William Duffy, Ian Hansen, Russ Kramer, Sergio Roffo, and Jeff Weaver.

Five awards of excellence and nine prestigious named awards–including the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award, which recognizes the work that best documents our maritime heritage for future generations–will be awarded at a black-tie awards dinner and preview September 22 (dinner by invitation only).

The judges selecting these awards this year are Jeffrey W. Cooley, Director of the Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, Connecticut and Jay Picotte, Curator of the Museum of Yachting in Newport, Rhode Island.

All works in the exhibition are available to view and purchase daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The show can also be viewed on the Gallery website, mysticseaport.org/gallery.

The exhibition runs through December 31, 2012.

Images available upon request.

About the Maritime Gallery

The Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport is the nation’s foremost gallery specializing in contemporary marine art.  For over 30 years, the Maritime Gallery has been privileged to exhibit the works of leading maritime artists from across the globe and to support the scholarship, curation, and exhibition work of its parent organization, Mystic Seaport. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org/gallery.

Mystic Seaport will host its 15th annual Antique Vehicle Show Sunday, September 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

More than 100 authentic pre-1930’s cars, trucks, and motorcycles will be on display throughout the Museum’s village. The event gives visitors the opportunity to see up close and in some cases sit behind the wheel of classic vehicles and speak with the owners who care for and restore them. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., free rides will be available to visitors, allowing them to experience what it was like to travel in the early days of motor vehicles.

At 3 p.m., the event’s finale, a grand parade of vehicles, will make its way through the Museum grounds.

Museum admission is required for the show. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest merchant vessel in the country. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

The employees of Mystic Seaport today voted down an attempt to form a union.

The vote was 145 to 90.

The election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board in reaction to a petition filed on July 6, 2012 by AFT Connecticut to organize all non-management employees of the Museum.

“We are very pleased by the outcome of the election. By rejecting the union, our employees indicate they want to continue to have a direct, individual relationship with management and we believe that is the best way for us to work together,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White. “This has been a very divisive process for the entire staff and the next step is to immediately begin the healing process and address the issues and concerns the organizing process brought forward.”

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American commercial vessel still in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Largest Marine Engine Show in the Country to Feature more than 300 Exhibits

Experience the maritime transition from sail to mechanical power at the 21st annual Antique Marine Engine Exposition at Mystic Seaport Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19.

More than 300 examples of early marine engines from around the country, including unique selections from Mystic Seaport’s own collection, will be on display Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A broad range of inboards, outboards, steam, gasoline, diesel, electric and naphtha engines will all be on display in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard. Additional engines dating from 1889 to 1963 manufactured by Evinrude, Johnson, Herreshoff, Kriebel and others can be viewed in the Museum’s North Boat Shed.

Visitors will have special access to view the Museum’s Marine Engine Collection in the Collections and Research Center over the weekend. The Collection contains several hundred unique examples of marine engines from the 19th and 20th centuries and is not normally open for general visitors.

Weekend activities include a set-and-weigh anchor demonstration featuring a 1914 Economy Sparta donkey engine aboard the schooner L.A. Dunton and the firing of several engines in the Shipyard, including a six-cylinder D-90 Lathrop diesel and a huge two-cylinder Wichmann semi-diesel from Sweden. There will also be a 1917 Hercules engine demonstration behind the Museum’s Hoop Shop.

In addition, the Shipyard’s paint shop will display many outstanding marine engine models, many of them fully operational.

The Antique Marine Engine Exposition is free with regular Museum admission.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is the home of four National Historical Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.