Mystic Seaport has promoted Elysa Engelman to be the Museum’s new Director of Exhibits.
Engelman will be responsible for creating and delivering an ongoing program of dynamic, interdisciplinary exhibits that attract diverse audiences and introduce new scholarship and content in support of the Museum’s mission and strategic vision. She will direct all aspects of exhibit design and production.
“Elysa Engelman takes on this position at an exciting time for the Museum, and we are very pleased that her exceptional creative, innovative, and academic expertise will play an important role in maximizing the potential of the new Gallery Quad,” said Susan Funk, executive vice president of Mystic Seaport.
Engelman assumes the directorship after 10 years as Exhibit Researcher/Developer for the Museum, where she has contributed to the creation of numerous exhibits, including “Women and the Sea,” “TUGS!,” “Black Hands, Blue Seas,” and the upcoming “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers” due to open this June. She was also intimately involved in the programming of the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan last summer.
She holds an undergraduate degree in English and Theater Studies from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Boston University in American and New England Studies. Engelman has also been a guest lecturer at the Williams-Mystic Program at Mystic Seaport and an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut.
Mystic, Conn. (February 11, 2015) – Mystic Seaport has promoted Elysa Engelman to be the Museum’s new Director of Exhibits.
Engelman will be responsible for creating and delivering an ongoing program of dynamic, interdisciplinary exhibits that attract diverse audiences and introduce new scholarship and content in support of the Museum’s mission and strategic vision. She will direct all aspects of exhibit design and production.
“Elysa Engelman takes on this position at an exciting time for the Museum, and we are very pleased that her exceptional creative, innovative, and academic expertise will play an important role in maximizing the potential of the new Gallery Quad,” said Susan Funk, executive vice president of Mystic Seaport.
Engelman assumes the directorship after 10 years as Exhibit Researcher/Developer for the Museum, where she has contributed to the creation of numerous exhibits, including “Women and the Sea,” “TUGS!,” “Black Hands, Blue Seas,” and the upcoming “Voyaging in the Wake of the Whalers” due to open this June. She was also intimately involved in the programming of the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan last summer.
She holds an undergraduate degree in English and Theater Studies from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Boston University in American and New England Studies. Engelman has also been a guest lecturer at the Williams-Mystic Program at Mystic Seaport and an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut.
Engelman is a resident of East Greenwich, RI where she lives with her husband and family.
This promotion is effective Monday, March 2.
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. 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 younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Museum Reopens to Visitors with Free Admission for Children February 14-22
Mystic, Conn. (February 5, 2015) – Mystic Seaport celebrates its reopening on Presidents Day Weekend with Winter’s Aweigh beginning Saturday, February 14. Children ages 17 and under will be admitted for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
A special feature this year is the reproduction ship Mayflower II, which is being restored in the Museum’s Shipyard. Visitors can view the ship and go on board and imagine what it was like for the Pilgrims to cross the Atlantic in 1620.
Visitors can also explore the Museum’s 19th-century seafaring village, historic vessels, and maritime exhibits, and take in a Planetarium show.
Special children’s activities include arts and craft projects, building an igloo out of recycled milk jugs, storytelling, songs and musical activities, and outdoor games. Children are invited to build a toy boat keepsake, stop by the Children’s Museum for story time, explore a sea chest, and get a kids’-eye view of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan.
Winter working dogs will be on hand for demonstrations during the weekend. Newfoundlands will visit Saturday, February 14; St. Bernards will be on grounds Sunday, February 15; and Malamutes will visit Monday, February 16. The dogs will be on hand between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The children’s free admission offer at Mystic Seaport continues all week and is valid February 14-22. The offer is not transferable and no other discounts apply. The Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
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. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children 5 and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The photograph of the elegant diners (on the right) is from the Grace Line passenger steamer Santa Paula in the 1930s. In the background is a large 14 by 8 foot painting of the ship W.R. Grace by Charles Robert Patterson which eventually came to Mystic Seaport in 1961 and has hung in the Aloha Meeting House (the Greenmanville Church) since that time.
From its time aboard the ship and the intervening five decades in the church, the painting has built up quite a layer of grime. Two conservators from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center (in the sidebar photo gallery) spent three days at the Museum last fall putting a little sparkle back into the clipper ship by stripping off some of the layers of dirt. The project was inspired by Bob Webb, a former curator at the Kendall Whaling Museum and the Maine Maritime Museum and a performer well-known in sea music circles. Webb passed away last year and one of his wishes was to see the painting conserved since, in addition to his other passions, he was also a writer and one of his books was a biography of Charles Robert Patterson, the artist. To help fulfill his wish, Webb’s widow, Helen, has been raising funds to help pay for the conservation work.
Detail of the W.R. Grace (MSM accession # 1961.302)
The work is a depiction of the W.R. Grace leaving the coast of California in the 1880s. There were four “SANTA” ships built in the 1930s and each one had on board a painting done by Charles Robert Patterson. There is one in the Maine Maritime Museum that went to them from the W.R. Grace offices in Boca Raton in 1999. It is also a painting of the W.R. Grace and is entitled “Report Me All Well,” and that one was in the Santa Elena. When the Santa Elena was turned into a troop ship, the painting came out and was later trimmed down and repainted to fit in the W.R. Grace company offices. The other two SANTA ships, the Santa Rosa and the Santa Lucia, carried portraits of the ship M.P. Grace. The whereabouts of those two paintings is unknown. The one in the Museum’s Greenmanville Church is considered the masterpiece of the four and the only one kept in its original round-topped, half-moon configuration.
Robert Lane aboard Congar in 2013 / Photo courtesy Christopher Finn
Mystic Seaport and the maritime community bid farewell to Robert “Bob” Lane. Mr. Lane, 89, passed away peacefully January 15, 2015 in Lewiston, Maine, with his family by his side.
A former Sea Scout, Lane was aboard the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan when she came up the Mystic River and arrived at Mystic Seaport on November 8, 1941. He shared some of his memories from that historic moment when he attended the Morgan‘s 70th Anniversary Celebration in 2011.
http://youtu.be/ZfXIc0YZITI
During World War II, at 19 years old, Lane captained a sea-going tug which helped build the artificial harbors that allowed tanks and heavy equipment to get ashore during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. In 1951 he started the Penobscot Boat Works, “Penbo,” in Rockport, Maine, with his father, Carl D. Lane. The boat shop turned out a diverse stable of high-quality wooden vessels ranging from runabouts to their unique trawler-hulled, ocean-going luxury cruisers. Their innovative designs changed the world of cruising houseboats and are still celebrated. After retirement, Lane and his wife, Esther, made 10 voyages to the Bahamas on the Penbo-built Star of Maine. Beginning in 1966, summers were spent on Cranberry Island in Muscongus Bay. In later years, Lane spent his time building ship models and some of his works are on display at the Bath Maritime Museum.
“He was quite a man who lived quite a life,” said Charles W. Morgan Historian Matthew Stackpole.
Lane is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, his sister, four children, five grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.
Hallie Payne, supervisor of Community Sailing and Overnight Programs at Mystic Seaport, has been honored with the Excellence in Instruction Award from US Sailing. The award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to further sailing education and public access to the water.
Hallie Payne receiving the Excellence in Instruction Award at the US Sailing Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 22, 2015
During her 10 years as an instructor and director, Payne has been involved with all aspects of the Museum’s Joseph Conrad Summer Sailing Camp and Community Sailing program, She has played a prominent role in the sailing education of more than 6,000 students. While her current position has significant administrative requirements, she still manages to stay extremely involved in the hands-on aspect of sailing instruction, providing guidance to both new and veteran instructors. Additionally, she consistently demonstrates strong leadership to Conrad campers and Community Sailing students.
As a former Conrad camper, Payne has been able to take her experiences and help provide the best opportunities for those in her care. Her passion and dedication, combined with her superior technical sailing skills and sense of humor, make her a wonderful teacher and mentor. Mystic Seaport congratulates Ms. Payne on this well-deserved honor!
Museum staff, volunteers, and guests braved the cold on January 8 to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Thompson Exhibition Building
Mystic Seaport announces a gift of $1 million from the Thompson Family Foundation honoring the late Wade Thompson, a Museum trustee for 27 years. This gift directed to a new 14,000 square-foot exhibition building caps an earlier gift from the Thompsons, bringing their total gifts towards this building to $6.6 million. The new building will be named for the Thompson family.
“From early on in the strategic planning process Wade Thompson was the driving force behind the concept of a new exhibition space and its importance for the future of the Museum, and his generosity and leadership have made this project possible,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White.
The gift was announced at a groundbreaking ceremony at Mystic Seaport on January 8.
The design of the 14,000 square-foot exhibit hall will evoke the “geometry of the sea.” Image courtesy Centerbrook Architects and Planners/Kent+Frost Landscape Architecture
The contemporary, light-filled Thompson Exhibition Building will include a state-of-the-art, 5,000 square-foot exhibit hall. This will be the largest among Mystic Seaport’s seven galleries and will provide the caliber of conditions required to curate not only exhibits from the Museum’s collection, but also permit the borrowing of outstanding art and artifacts from other museums around the world. This space will feature high ceilings and a flexible layout that can be reconfigured to accommodate objects of varying size and type, from watercraft to priceless works of fine art, and also support educational programming. The building will integrate cutting-edge technology, “Grade A” exhibit facilities, and the flexible space needed to showcase the Museum’s collection in exciting ways.
“This significant capital project is a milestone in the history of Mystic Seaport as we reposition ourselves for the 21st century. This endeavor will transform what we can offer to the public in the scale and quality of our exhibits and how visitors engage with our campus,” said Mystic Seaport Board Chairman Barclay Collins.
Situated at the northern-most edge of the Museum’s 19-acre campus and adjacent to Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern, the Thompson Exhibition Building will anchor the newly created Gallery Quadrangle, a region of Mystic Seaport that will be suitable for year-round visitation once complete. Designed by the Connecticut firm Centerbrook Architects and Planners, the Thompson Exhibition Building will evoke the “geometry of the sea,” drawing design cues from the interior of a wooden ship, the undulating sea, and a spiraling nautilus shell. Construction will be managed by A/Z Corporation of North Stonington, CT. Other Connecticut firms involved in the project are Stadia Engineering, Kohler Ronan, and Kent + Frost Landscape Architects of Mystic.
The Gallery Quadrangle transformation is the result of a decade of strategic and master planning, and will provide:
An iconic point of arrival at the north end of the campus
All-weather and all-season operational capabilities
Sweeping, unobstructed views of the Mystic River
Outdoor celebration areas for both Museum and community use
21st-century upgrades and improved access to existing galleries around the quadrangle’s perimeter, including those in the Stillman and R. J. Schaefer buildings
Environmentally responsible features that respond to the riverfront location, including a storm water treatment system and geothermal heating and cooling
Increased wheeled accessibility for the north campus
Galleries and venues suitable for schools’ year-round educational visits
To create this new all-season zone, Kent + Frost has developed a distinctive unifying plan to reconfigure the grounds. To establish a powerful physical presence, and emerge as a year-round cultural destination and educational resource, the distinctive Gallery Quadrangle meshes existing buildings and grounds with new architectural achievements to greatly enhance the visitor experience.
Mystic, Conn. (January 15, 2015) – Mystic Seaport announces a gift of $1 million from the Thompson Family Foundation honoring the late Wade Thompson, a Museum trustee for 27 years. This gift directed to a new 14,000 square-foot exhibition building caps an earlier gift from the Thompsons, bringing their total gifts towards this building to $6.6 million. The new building will be named for the Thompson family.
“From early on in the strategic planning process Wade Thompson was the driving force behind the concept of a new exhibition space and its importance for the future of the Museum, and his generosity and leadership have made this project possible,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White.
The gift was announced at a groundbreaking ceremony at Mystic Seaport on January 8.
The contemporary, light-filled Thompson Exhibition Building will include a state-of-the-art, 5,000 square-foot exhibit hall. This will be the largest among Mystic Seaport’s seven galleries and will provide the caliber of conditions required to curate not only exhibits from the Museum’s collection, but also permit the borrowing of outstanding art and artifacts from other museums around the world. This flexible space will feature high ceilings and demountable walls that can be reconfigured to accommodate objects of varying size and type, from watercraft to priceless works of fine art, and also support educational programming. The building will integrate cutting-edge technology, “Grade A” exhibit facilities, and the flexible space needed to showcase the Museum’s collection in exciting ways.
“This significant capital project is a milestone in the history of Mystic Seaport as we reposition ourselves for the 21st century. This endeavor will transform what we can offer to the public in the scale and quality of our exhibits and how visitors engage with our campus,” said Mystic Seaport Board Chairman Barclay Collins.
Situated at the northern-most edge of the Museum’s 19-acre campus and adjacent to Latitude 41° Restaurant & Tavern, the Thompson Exhibition Building will anchor the newly created Gallery Quadrangle, a region of Mystic Seaport that will be suitable for year-round visitation once complete. Designed by the Connecticut firm Centerbrook Architects and Planners, the Thompson Exhibition Building will evoke the “geometry of the sea,” drawing design cues from the interior of a wooden ship, the undulating sea, and a spiraling nautilus shell. Construction will be managed by A/Z Corporation of North Stonington, CT. Other Connecticut firms involved in the project are Stadia Engineering, Kohler Ronan, and Kent + Frost Landscape Architects of Mystic.
The Gallery Quadrangle transformation is the result of a decade of strategic and master planning, and will provide:
An iconic point of arrival at the north end of the campus
All-weather and all-season operational capabilities
Sweeping, unobstructed views of the Mystic River
Outdoor celebration areas for both Museum and community use
21st-century upgrades and improved access to existing galleries around the quadrangle’s perimeter, including those in the Stillman and R. J. Schaefer buildings
Environmentally responsible features that respond to the riverfront location, including a storm water treatment system and geothermal heating and cooling
Increased wheeled accessibility for the north campus
Galleries and venues suitable for schools’ year-round educational visits
To create this new all-season zone, Kent + Frost has developed a distinctive unifying plan to reconfigure the grounds. To establish a powerful physical presence, and emerge as a year-round cultural destination and educational resource, the distinctive Gallery Quadrangle meshes existing buildings and grounds with new architectural achievements to greatly enhance the visitor experience.
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.
Mayflower II was moved into the Museum’s Hays and Ros Clark Shiplift this morning and hauled out of the water so that restoration work can begin in earnest after the holidays. It is a process that takes several hours from beginning to end.
First, the ship was carefully maneuvered by the shipyard’s workboats off of the north side of the lift and positioned over the cradle on the submerged platform. The cradle on the platform had been previously set up with blocking and poppets to match the curves of the hull.
Once in position, divers were sent into the water to adjust the supports. This was cold work in the waters of the Mystic River in December, and it is a job not made any easier by the poor visibility due to the current dredging of the channel just off the Museum.
Satisfied that Mayflower II was properly supported, the lift motors were engaged and the ship inched out of the water until high and dry. After an inspection and some additional adjustments to the cradle supports, one of the shipyard’s forklifts pulled the whole apparatus, ship and all, forward off the lift onto the concrete pad in the yard for a thorough power-washing of the hull. The pad includes a waste-water collection system to catch the debris off the hull to prevent it from entering the river.
Prof. Jim Carlton, director of the Williams-Mystic program, took the opportunity with his staff to take samples of marine growth from the keel of Mayflower II. They are interested in seeing what the ship transported down from Plymouth.
The next task is for the ballast to be removed from the hold to enable a detailed survey of the hull.
Missing her smokestack, top canopy, and pilothouse, the SABINO was maneuvered into the main shop for restoration on Wednesday, December 17, 2014.
The Mayflower II is not the only major vessel being worked on in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard this winter. The Mystic Seaport steamboat Sabino was hauled and on Wednesday, December 17, she was moved into the main shop to begin an extensive restoration that will have her out of the water until the summer of 2016.
While she has received constant maintenance and work since she was purchased by Mystic Seaport in 1974, this will be the most comprehensive restoration initiative since that time.
A primary task is to replace the shaft log–a wooden section on top of the keel through which the propeller shaft passes–and to inspect and replace the keel bolts. This work requires the engine, boiler, and water tank to be removed to gain access on the inside. The shipwrights also will evaluate her overall condition and develop plans to address any other issues they uncover.
The boiler is scheduled to receive a thorough inspection. The present boiler is not her original, but it was installed in 1941. She will also receive major plumbing and machinery upgrades.
“The goal is to make Sabino good for the next 25 years,” said Quentin Snediker, the shipyard director.
Moving a Steamboat
Where large vessels such as the Charles W. Morgan, Mayflower II, and the Joseph Conrad must be worked on out in the yard, Sabino is small enough to fit in the main shop with some dis-assembly. Working in the shop is obviously preferable to having to cope with the vagaries of a New England winter.
To be able to fit through the doors, the boat’s smokestack, top canopy, and pilothouse had to be removed. The crane hired for this purpose also pulled out the boiler, the engine, and the main water tank. This was done last week and then she was hauled on the ship lift.
The railway system that enables the ship cradles to move on and off the lift do not run through the shop. Thus, a special trailer needed to be brought in to move Sabino. The firm who did the work is Brownell Systems of Mattapoisett, MA. Best known for the ubiquitous Brownell boat stands found in just about every boatyard, the company is an expert in boat transport.
The trailer they used came in several pieces and had to be assembled underneath the boat in a process that took most of a day. (This is a really large trailer.) Once the trailer was in place and was supporting the hull, the blocks and stands were removed and the steamboat could then roll. The truck then pulled forward and then backed the trailer around a turn into the shop. The process was aided by the fact that the trailer’s wheels could be rotated to tighten the turn radius.
The whole move went very smoothly and once in the shop, the shipyard crew braced and blocked the hull in position–being very careful to make sure everything was level–and then the trailer was taken apart. Sabino now stands ready for work to begin in earnest to get her back in the water in tip top condition in 2016.
About Sabino
Sabino was built in 1908 in East Boothbay, ME, and spent most of her career ferrying passengers and cargo between Maine towns and islands. She is 57 feet long and has a beam of 23 feet. Her hull is constructed of wood and she is powered by a 75 horsepower two-cylinder compound steam engine—the very same engine that was installed in 1908. The engine was constructed in nearby Noank. Her boiler is fueled by burning coal.
She came to Mystic Seaport in 1973, where she takes visitors on 30- and 90-minute cruises on the Mystic River from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day each year.
