New Exhibit Explores Impact and Influence of Iconic Industry
Mystic, Conn. (June 9, 2015)—Mystic Seaport will open its newest exhibit, “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers,” on Saturday, June 20.
The exhibit is a groundbreaking approach to the story of America and whaling that places 19th-century commercial whaling within its larger global and historical contexts. It also explores whaling’s complex and deep impact on the nation’s economy, culture, and global position, and how its cultural, historical, and environmental legacy continues to influence the nation and world today.
“Most people are familiar with whaling through the lens of popular culture or reading Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “’Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers’ pushes past the common perception and the mechanics of whaling to show the richer and deeper stories of the peoples, places, ships, and whales that impacted and were impacted by the industry.”
The 4,400 square-foot exhibit was timed to follow the historic 38th Voyage of the Museum’s 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan in 2014, and is a complement to the experience of going on board the vessel at its berth within sight of the exhibit entrance. On display are more than 100 whaling-related historic artifacts and documents, including logbooks, photographs, tools, scrimshaw, ship models, and souvenirs, as well as moving images, oral histories, and sound recordings. Some of the artifacts and images are visitor favorites, while others have only recently been added to the collection and will be on public display for the first time.
Using artifacts and artwork alongside compelling audio-visual elements, immersive displays, and thought-provoking interpretation, the exhibit bridges the gap between the whalers’ world and the present day. A short film presents a content-rich, visually stunning introduction to the exhibit topic and themes, using high-definition footage shot during the 38th Voyage along with archival whaling footage and brief shots of people, artifacts, and stories to be explored more fully in the exhibit.
Touch-activated “Dive Deeper” information stations, featuring videos, timelines, digital maps, and games, will allow visitors to further explore the study of whales and the whaling industry. Visitors will also be able to search a database for crew members that sailed aboard the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan and learn more about the vessel’s recent restoration.
To convey the global stories of whales, whaling, and whale research, a large three-dimensional projection globe showing all the world’s oceans will tell the universal, stories of the Morgan and present contemporary research. Video programs will enable visitors to sail back to 1841 and follow the journey the Morgan took on her first whaling voyage, explore diversity aboard whaleships, and see how tracking whales has evolved over the past 200 years.
In the words of guest curator Anne Witty, “The stories in this exhibit braid together people, whales, history, and culture. Here are tales of work and wonder, wealth and poverty, nature and society. Objects of work, struggle, and leisure. Images of violence and beauty, of forgotten people and lifeways that are strange to us today.”
The exhibit is semi-permanent and does not have a scheduled closing date.
As part of the opening, Captain Kip Files, the 22nd captain of the Morgan, will give a presentation at 7 p.m. on June 18 in the River Room of Latitude 41° Restaurant at Mystic Seaport. Files will talk about his experience commanding the ship during her 38th Voyage. The talk is free for Museum members and $10 per person for non-members. People can register by calling 860.572.5339.
“Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers” has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence. Additional support was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Connecticut Humanities, Capital Group, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, among other funders.
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow IMLS on Facebook and Twitter.
About Connecticut Humanities
Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, provides opportunities to explore the history, literature and the vibrant culture that make our state, cities and towns attractive places to live and work. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
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ROANN Travels to Cape May
On Thursday morning, June 4, the Museum’s eastern-rig dragger Roann departed Mystic Seaport for Cape May, N.J. where she will participate in the Cape May Port Commercial Fishing Festival Saturday and Sunday, June 6-7. Captain Al Burnett and staff members Joe Zaraschi and Walter Ansel, along with volunteers Dick Burke, Jim Fox, George Hinteregger, and Rod Cook, are crew aboard the vessel and plan to arrive in Cape May Friday afternoon.
Hosted by the Cape May Maritime Museum and Education Center and the Cold Spring Fish & Supply Company, the inaugural festival highlights the area’s commercial fishing industry and rich maritime heritage. The festival will be based in the Schellenger’s Landing area and participating exhibitors include the Coast Guard, NOAA, Rutgers University, Garden State Seafood Association, Cold Spring Fish & Supply, Lund’s FIsheries, Atlantic Cape Fisheries, and Snow’s Bumble Bee. Demonstrations, talks, and special activities will be hosted throughout the weekend and visitors are invited to board Roann. The vessel will be open to the public from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.
Roann is scheduled to depart Cape May for Mystic Seaport Sunday evening.
About Roann
Built in 1947, Roann is one of the last surviving examples of the fishing vessels that replaced sailing schooners like the Museum’s L.A. Dunton. The eastern-rig draggers originated in the 1920s; indeed, Thomas McManus, who designed the Dunton, was influential in their development. Draggers completed the revolutionary advance from sail to engine, and from hooks to nets, in New England fishing technology. Powered by a diesel engine, and dragging a large conical fishnet called an otter trawl along the seabed, Roann and her crew of three could catch cod and haddock twice as fast as dorymen from a vessel like the Dunton could with their baited hooks. Draggers were also the first to catch large quantities of flounder.
Roann has been a Museum exhibit at Mystic Seaport since her arrival in 1997. Most recently she played an instrumental role as a support vessel during the Charles W. Morgan‘s historic 38th Voyage in 2014.
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Construction Update
Contractors have completed demolition work on the north end of the grounds and now the focus of the McGraw Gallery Quadrangle project is final site preparation and the installation of new infrastructure in advance of construction.
A key accomplishment in May was the drilling of 20 465-foot deep wells for a geothermal heating and cooling system that will support the environment conditions inside the new Thompson Exhibition Building.
Contractors are also working on installation of new electrical, telecom, and water infrastructure. The last includes an extensive storm water containment and filtration system to process runoff before it reaches the Mystic River.
Plans call for the Thompson Building foundation to be poured in July and the public spaces in the Quad should open in July with some limitations until the grass sod has taken root.
Although construction has closed the North Entrance, Latitude 41° Restaurant is open on its normal summer schedule and a new Center Entrance will open on June 20 next to the administration building at 75 Greenmanville Avenue. Members and visitors will be able to enter and conduct all transactions at that entrance. For safety reasons, everyone is reminded to use the traffic-light crosswalks to cross Greenmanville Ave.
New and Improved Exhibits
On June 20, “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers” will open on the first floor of the Stillman Building. This 4,400 square-foot exhibit is a fresh take on the history of American whaling and will combine Museum artifacts, artwork, audiovisual elements, and interactive displays to facilitate an understanding of the forces that initially drove the whaling industry, humankind’s changing perceptions of whales, and the latest research into whale-human interactions. The exhibit will also incorporate elements from the Charles W. Morgan‘s 38th Voyage last summer.
In addition, the Figureheads exhibit in the Wendell Building will reopen after a refurbishment that includes enhanced lighting and the Benjamin F. Packard Ship’s Cabin will reopen on the second floor of the Stillman Building. The Packard Cabin was relocated from the brick outbuilding that was one of the structures razed to make way for the McGraw Quad.
Improvements to the R.J. Schaefer Building have been completed in advance of the “Ships, Clocks & Stars” exhibit that will open on September 19. The award-winning exhibit is the epic story of humankind’s quest to solve the riddle of measuring longitude at sea. Produced by the National Maritime Museum in London, Mystic Seaport is one of just four museums worldwide to host this exhibit.
The McGraw Gallery Quadrangle is a major undertaking by Mystic Seaport to transform the north end of the Museum to greatly enhance the quality of exhibition space and offer a more robust year-round experience for visitors. The distinctive Quad will mesh existing buildings and grounds with the new Thompson Exhibition Building, a 14,000 square-foot structure that will house exemplary exhibition facilities, the latest technologies, and flexible spaces to engage with visitors and serve their diverse interests.
The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2016 with the opening of the Thompson Building.
Performers from Around the World Gather to Celebrate Music of the Sea
Mystic, Conn. (May 27, 2015)—Musicians from around the world will come to Mystic Seaport to celebrate the musical traditions of the Golden Age of Sail at the 36th annual Sea Music Festival, Thursday through Sunday, June 11-14. The Festival is the premier sea music event in North America.
This year’s roster includes music from Great Britain, France, and Canada, along with singers from across the United States. The weekend’s festivities include daytime and evening concerts, special performances for children, instructional workshops, a scholars’ symposium, and a unique opportunity to witness sea music at work aboard the Museum’s historic vessels.
More than 15 individuals and groups will perform at the Festival. A highlight will be Alan Reid and Rob van Sante, who willpresent a lively show featuring Reid’s compositions and traditional material, rooted largely in the music of the Scottish landscape, its cities, countryside, and coastline. Their musical cycle “The Adventures of John Paul Jones” is centered on the life and times of the Scottish native and American naval hero. The music, all composed by Reid, reflects folk music styles of the various countries associated with Jones–Scotland, the United States, Russia, and France–while exploring the highs and lows in the extraordinary life of the famous mariner.
In addition, the group MARA will bring their large repertoire of Breton, French, English, Welsh, and Irish music to the Festival and visitors can take in performances from Sara Grey and Kieron Means, Judy Cook, the Northern Neck Chantey Singers, the S.S. Chanteens, Ian Bell, Charlie Zahm, Pressgang Mutiny, and the Mystic Seaport Chantey Staff, including Geoff Kaufman, Craig Edwards, and Don Sineti.
All workshops and daytime concerts in the Festival are included in regular Mystic Seaport admission. Special tickets are required for evening concerts and can be purchased by calling 860.572.0711, or at the Museum’s main entrance. Weekend passes are also available. College students will be admitted into the Festival for the youth rate upon presentation of a current student ID.
For more information, including ticket packages, musicians’ bios, and a schedule of performances, visit mysticseaport.org/seamusicfestival.
Returning this year is an evening sea music “contra dance,” a style of partnered folk dancing traditional to New England. The dance will be held Saturday evening from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Mystic German Club’s Frohsinn Hall, located directly across the street from the Museum’s main entrance on Route 27. There is an $8 admission fee for the dance.
The annual Music of the Sea Symposium, hosted in partnership with Connecticut College and the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, will be held on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. The Symposium, which features presentations of themed papers by some of the country’s leading maritime music scholars, explores the interaction between sea, music, and song. The first day of the Symposium will be held at the Olin Science Center on the Connecticut College campus in New London, CT. Admission is free. The Symposium continues Saturday, June 13, at Mystic Seaport in the Greenmanville Church. Museum admission is required. For further details and a list of Symposium presenters and topics, visit mysticseaport.org/smfsymposium
This event is made possible by the Friends of the Sea Music Festival, who raise funds each year to generously support sea music at Mystic Seaport.
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
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Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers
First Responders Receive Free Admission and Family Discount
Mystic, Conn. (May 21, 2015) — Mystic Seaport’s Safety on Sea and Shore Weekend honors the work of present-day emergency personnel, while also celebrating the people, methods, and vehicles involved in maritime rescues during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
As part of Connecticut’s Coast Guard Summer in celebration of the 225th anniversary of the founding of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the USCG Academy’s 100 years at its current location in New London, the Museum is collaborating with the USCG Auxiliary to promote and recognize the important work the service provides.
The event will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 30-31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Plans for the weekend include: hands-on activities such as a bucket brigade, a man-overboard drill, and a breeches buoy rescue demonstration; historic apparatus on display including antique fire engines; and rescue animal demonstrations by the Newfoundland Club of New England.
The Old Mystic Fire Department’s Dive Rescue Team will visit with their vehicle, equipment, and personnel, and the Mystic Fire Department’s fire boat, Marine I, will dock at the Museum and crew members will answer questions about the vessel and its operations. Staff from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Boating Division will demonstrate how to properly use emergency flare guns and will give a presentation about safety in cold water, and the United States Power Squadron will demonstrate how to paddle safe when operating kayaks, canoes, and other paddle-driven watercraft.
Free Museum admission will be extended to all first responder personnel with proper identification as a way of saying “thank you” for their dedicated community service. Family members of personnel will receive the Museum’s discounted group admission rate: adult $20; youth (ages 6-17); $11.50 and free for children ages 5 and under.
The first responders discount applies to general admission only. The offer cannot be combined with any other discount.
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world with access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
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MAYFLOWER II Departs for Plymouth
Mayflower II, the reproduction of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620, departed Mystic Seaport this morning to return to her homeport of Plymouth, MA. The journey is expected to take two days with the ship stopping overnight at State Pier in New Bedford, after which she will pass through the Cape Cod Canal and arrive in Plymouth sometime in the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20.
As Mayflower II has no engine, she is being towed by the tug Jaguar.
The ship has been at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport since last December, where she has been undergoing the first phase of a multi-year restoration to prepare her for the 400th Anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival in 2020. Plimoth Plantation, the ship’s owner, wants to return her to the same condition she was in when she was sailed over from the United Kingdom in 1957. Mayflower II was a gift to the American people to commemorate the spirit of collaboration between the two countries during World War II.
“The key goal for this phase of the project was to determine the scope of work and come up with a detailed plan for the ship’s restoration that both addresses the ship’s needs and does so on a schedule that works for Plimoth Plantation,” said Dana Hewson, Mystic Seaport Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Programs.
The ship was hauled out of the water and had her ballast removed to enable a complete marine survey of the hull. The work was carried out by Paul Haley of Capt. G.W. Full & Associates, who did similar survey work for the Mystic Seaport whaleship Charles W. Morgan during her restoration.
In addition to the survey, shipwrights and Plimoth crew members were able to attend to a number of important tasks, including plank replacement, fresh caulking of the hull and decks, and a new paint job. Patterns were taken of structural members that need to be replaced to enable Mystic Seaport shipwrights to prefabricate parts while the ship is in Plymouth over the summer.
The ship is expected to return to Mystic Seaport in December following Thanksgiving.
“This has been a great project for both museums,” added Hewson. “Both organizations bring different strengths to the table and we are learning a lot from each other.”
Plimoth Plantation announced today that Mayflower II is now scheduled to depart Mystic Seaport on the morning of Tuesday, May 19 for her return trip to Plymouth.
The ship is scheduled to cast off around 9 a.m., although the exact time is dependent on tide levels and weather conditions that morning.
The journey to Plymouth is expected to take two days. Once back at her berth, the ship will be inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and other preparations will be carried out to make her ready to reopen to visitors prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
The full-scale reproduction ship owned by Plimoth Plantation has been at Mystic Seaport to undergo an extensive survey and the first phase of multi-year restoration at the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.
Mystic, Conn. (May 14, 2015)—Plimoth Plantation and Mystic Seaport announced today that Mayflower II is now scheduled to depart Mystic Seaport on the morning of Monday, May 18 for her return trip to Plymouth.
The delay is due to difficulties with the availability of a tugboat to tow the ship back to Massachusetts.
The ship is scheduled to cast off at 8 a.m., although the exact time is dependent on tide levels and weather conditions that morning. The journey to Plymouth is expected to take two days. Once back at her berth, the ship will be inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and other preparations will be carried out to make her ready to reopen to visitors prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
The full-scale reproduction ship owned by Plimoth Plantation has been at Mystic Seaport to undergo an extensive survey and the first phase of multi-year restoration at the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.
For more information about Mayflower II and her restoration, visit www.plimoth.org/sos.
Images are available for download at the Mystic Seaport website.
About Plimoth Plantation
Plimoth Plantation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization and a living museum dedicated to telling the history of Plymouth Colony from the perspective of both the Pilgrims and the Native Wampanoag people. Located less than an hour’s drive south of Boston in Plymouth, Massachusetts, (Exit 4, Route 3 south) and 15 minutes north of Cape Cod, the Museum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week, from the third Saturday in March through the end of November 2015. Plimoth Plantation is a private, not-for-profit educational institution supported by admission fees, contributions, memberships, function sales and revenue from a variety of dining programs/services/special events and Museum Shops. Plimoth Plantation is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate and receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, private foundations, corporations, and local businesses. For more information, visit www.plimoth.org.
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, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world with access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $16 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and under are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
