Governor Dannel P. Malloy, State Senator Andrew Maynard (D-Stonington), and other Connecticut state legislators today designated the 2013-14 academic year to be the “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” in the State of Connecticut.  The designation will afford students across the state a unique opportunity to learn about Connecticut history, the significance of the whaling industry, and the importance of the state’s maritime heritage.

Mystic Seaport is currently restoring the whaleship in the Museum shipyard in preparation for a voyage to historic ports in New England in 2014. As part of this project, the Museum is developing educational resources and programs to be made available to Connecticut schools to use the Morgan as a tool to teach students about the state’s past.

Built and launched in New Bedford in 1841, the Charles W. Morgan sailed on 37 voyages covering the entire globe over a whaling career that lasted 80 years. The ship came to Mystic Seaport in 1941 and became the centerpiece of what has become the nation’s leading maritime museum. The Morgan is the oldest American commercial vessel still in existence and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967.

A powerful draw for Connecticut’s tourism industry, more than 20 million people have walked her decks since she arrived at the Museum.

“We sincerely appreciate this gesture of support from the Governor, his administration, and state lawmakers. The “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” will help us put together a multi-agency initiative to use the Morgan as a catalyst for increased tourism, economic development, and innovative educational programming,” said Mystic Seaport president Stephen C. White.

A Vessel for Education

The “Year of the Charles W. Morgan” will feature an extensive series of learner-based programs and resources for teachers to leverage to teach a range of subject material, including but not limited to history. The story of whaling and the Morgan touches on themes of globalization, America’s economic and social history, science, and environmental conservation, among others. Mystic Seaport is working with educators, administrators, foundations, and students to craft programs for the year.

Some of the initiatives currently in development:

• With the support of a $500,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Mystic Seaport is building an Online Learning Community that will feature the Morgan as central content for an interactive curriculum.
• On-site programs for school groups to visit the ship.
• Off-site programs where Museum educators travel to Connecticut schools to assist teachers with in-person presentations.
• Partnerships with Institutions of Higher Learning, such as the Museum’s current joint efforts with the Williams-Mystic program and the University of Connecticut-Avery Point.

“We want every child to have the chance to visit the Morgan. Unfortunately, in this day and age that is not feasible. However, through technology and special programs we can take the Morgan to every student in the state,” said White.

An Unprecedented Voyage 

In the late spring of 2014, the Morgan will embark on a historic 38^th Voyage to historic ports in New England. The journey will begin with several weeks in New London, where she will finalize her preparations and conduct sail training. This will also include events celebrating the city’s whaling heritage. At one time, New London was one of the top five whaling ports in the world and much of the economic development of Eastern Connecticut owes its start to the wealth brought home by the city’s whaleships.

The Morgan will then sail to Newport, New Bedford (where she was built and sailed from for much of her career), Vineyard Haven on Martha’s Vineyard, through the Cape Cod Canal on the centennial anniversary of its opening, Provincetown, which she will use as a base for day sails among the whales on Stellwagon Bank, and finally to Boston to join the USS Constitution.

Each port stop will have a series of public events and programs focusing on that particular city’s heritage. When she returns to Mystic Seaport in August, the Morgan will return to her berth at Chubb’s Wharf and resume her role as an exhibit and flagship of the Museum.

More information on the ship, her history, the restoration, and plans for the 38th Voyage are available at mysticseaport.org/charleswmorgan.

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 commercial vessel in the United States. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Mystic Seaport, in partnership with film producer and sailor Gary Jobson, is proud to present the Mystic premiere of the documentary “Unfurling the World: The Voyages of Irving and Electa Johnson.” The screening will be held at the Olde Mistick Village Art Cinemas on Saturday, April 7, at 4:30 p.m. Jobson will introduce the film, which is one hour and 17 minutes long, and will briefly discuss the program.

Mystic Seaport and Jobson teamed together to create this new, exciting documentary about the Johnsons. The adventurous couple completed seven round-the-world voyages between 1933 and 1958 aboard a series of vessels named Yankee, and later in life traveled throughout the inland waterways of Europe. The Johnsons often visited remote islands and documented each voyage extensively, frequently as contributors to National Geographic. They were able to capture traditions, ceremonies, and customs of people that lived a lifestyle that in many cases no longer exists today. Mystic Seaport is the repository for much of the Johnson legacy, and the archival footage and most of the photographs of these voyages are from the Museum’s collections.

Tickets are $10 per person ($8 per Museum member) and can be purchased by calling Mystic Seaport Central Reservations at 860.572.5322 or online at https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/. 

The Olde Mistick Village Art Cinemas is located in Olde Mistick Village, 27 Coogan Boulevard Olde Mistick Village, Building 18, in Mystic, Conn.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in1929, it is the home of four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant ship in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Funds to Help Youths Participate in Museum’s Sailing and Summer Camp Programs

Mystic Seaport today announced more than $50,000 will be available for scholarships for the Museum’s youth sail training programs in 2012.

Scholarships can be applied to the fees for the Joseph Conrad Summer Sailing Camp, youth Community Sailing programs, and the teen overnight programs on the schooner Brilliant.

The Joseph Conrad Summer Sailing Camp is an overnight camp for youths ages 10-15. During the six-day program, campers stay aboard the tall ship Joseph Conrad, sail the Museum’s fleet of Dyer Dhows, and learn the skills of the sea.

Mystic Seaport Community Sailing offers a full lineup of sailing programs designed to build and refine sailing skills while nurturing the love of the water. Programs run throughout the spring, summer, and fall for youths ages eight and up.

The oldest sail training program of its kind in the United States, the schooner Brilliant takes up to nine teenage participants, ages 15-18, on either five- or ten-day voyages, where they work together under the guidance of the professional crew to safely sail hundreds of miles and learn traditional seamanship skills.

The scholarships are needs-based and can cover up to half of the cost of the program.

Applications are encouraged. The deadline for applications is May 1, although scholarships will continue to be awarded on a rolling basis if funds are available. For more information on the application process, interested parties can call 860.572.5322 or visit mysticseaport.org/financialaid.

The scholarships are the result of generous support from the William and Eileen Ames Fund, the Todd Wilkins Scholarship Fund, the George Gordon Breed Memorial Fund, and numerous private donors.

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 ship in existence. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Ground-Breaking Exhibit Presents Historic Objects as Works of Art

Mystic Seaport will open its newest exhibit, “Treasures from the Collections,” on Saturday, March 31. The exhibit presents 149 historic objects from the Museum collections as works of outstanding artistic value.

For more than 80 years, Mystic Seaport has developed collections vast in depth and scope and known worldwide for their documentary and research value. Less widely recognized, but no less significant, are the artistic treasures among the Museum’s extensive holdings. These objects of creative expression–inspired by the power, mystery, dangers, beauty, solitude, and resources of the sea– merge impressive artistic skill with maritime content to reveal the broad influence of the sea on American life.

Visitors will immediately notice something very different about this exhibit. Rather than presenting objects and images based on their connection to unifying stories, themes, and ideas, “Treasures from the Collections” breaks new ground by presenting objects primarily for their artistic and aesthetic merit.

Selected by a team of the Museum’s knowledgeable and experienced curators, these rarely-seen maritime treasures run the breadth of the diverse, two-million object collections. Outstanding examples of ship models, scrimshaw, ship plans, and figureheads by preeminent artisans will stand next to masterpieces from such renowned artists as James E. Buttersworth, Isaac Sheffield, and James Bard.

For example, on display will be a Chinese silk robe from the Manchu Dynasty (1644-1912). Many exotic items came to the U.S. through maritime trade, either as curiosities or commercial exchange. Made for a horseman, this Mandarin robe has a split to permit riding a horse as well as horse-hoof sleeves and cuffs which turn back when the wearer shoots an arrow.

Another item is a sailor’s ditty box made from panbone, wood, ivory, baleen, and horn. The box was made by Capt. Frederick Howland Smith and his wife Sarah G. “Sallie” Wordell Smith while they were at sea on the whaling bark Ohio in December, 1877. The box’s lid features a striking geometric pattern inlaid with tiny pieces that testify to the fine craftsmanship–and artistic talent– that went into creating the artifact.

A select group of photographs, generally included in exhibits as reproductions, also will be displayed in their original form, including rare 150-year-old examples in ornate cases with polished brass mats.

Many of these objects have been on display before; some have not.  However, together they represent a body of work that reveals a remarkable intellectual, emotional, and even spiritual response to the maritime world and to the maritime traditions that lie so deeply embedded in our culture.

“This exhibit is a wonderful opportunity for us to display some of the finest objects in our collections and do it in a novel way,” said Mystic Seaport President Stephen C. White.” The history of America has been shaped by the sea and our relationship to it. This exhibit tells that story, and more, through the language of creative expression.”

The exhibit is accompanied by the recent book, “America and the Sea: Treasures from the Collections of Mystic Seaport,” which serves as the catalog and guide for the exhibit. The publication was produced with support from the Henry Luce Foundation and published in partnership with the Yale University Press.

The exhibit will run through 2013 in the R. J. Schaefer Exhibit Hall.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is the home of four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American merchant ship in existence. The Museum collections contain more than two million historic objects and 500 watercraft. The state-of-the-art Collections Research Center and G.W. Blunt White Library provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the collections and archives in person and online via integrated databases. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

National Historic Landmark Vessel Enters New Phase of Restoration

Mystic Seaport shipwrights installed the first plank on the exterior of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan today. The plank marks a significant milestone in the multi-year restoration of the ship.

The Morgan has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard since 2008. This is the fourth phase of the project. To date, the vessel has been thoroughly documented, the structure of her lower hull has been restored, and interior planking has been replaced.

The current phase involves planking the external hull below the waterline. Much of the material dates to her original construction.

Installing a plank requires carefully shaping and “dry-fitting” it to its eventual location on the hull. The planks are then steamed for at least 3 hours to make them flexible. At that point they are quickly hauled into position, braced and wedged into place. The plank is subsequently fastened with bronze spikes and large wooden pegs called treenails (pronounced “trunnels”). Time is of the essence as the steam-induced flexibility wears off quickly and planks can crack or split.

The planks are longleaf yellow pine and massive. Today’s plank measured more than 36-feet long, was 4 inches thick, and weighed more than 500 pounds.

With the hiring of additional shipwrights this past winter, the Museum aims to complete this phase by late fall along with some structural restoration work on the bow and the transom area at the stern. This will be the most extensive restoration of the vessel since she arrived at Mystic Seaport in 1941.

“We are very pleased that we have been able to retain a substantial percentage of the original wood,” said Shipyard director Quentin Snediker. “It is great to see the new wood side-by-side with the old and know that we are ensuring her existence for another 170 years.”

“It is very exciting to see the ship come together as we reach these milestones. Each plank puts us that much closer to our goal to take her back to sea, and it is a testament to the remarkable skills and talents of our shipwrights that we are reaching that goal on time and on budget,” said Mystic Seaport president Steve White.

White urged visitors to come and see the ship during the restoration. “This is a unique opportunity to see the skills and technology at work that helped launch America’s global economy. Once the structure is covered up, no one in our lifetime will ever see it again,” he said.

The Morgan sailed on 37 voyages around the globe during an 80-year whaling career. She came to Mystic Seaport in 1941 and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The Morgan is the oldest surviving American commercial vessel still afloat.

The $7 million project is on schedule to launch her on July 21, 2013, the 172nd anniversary of her first trip down the ways in 1841. Mystic Seaport will return the Morgan to sea for a ceremonial 38th Voyage to historic ports on the East Coast in the late spring and summer of 2014.

The public is invited to help support the project by visiting mysticseaport.org/morgansupport.

Images available upon request.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is America’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 oldest American commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Mystic Seaport named Nicholas Alley to be the next captain of the schooner Brilliant.

For nearly 60 years, thanks to the generosity and foresight of Briggs Cunningham, the schooner Brilliant has served as Mystic Seaport’s primary sail training vessel, introducing thousands of young and adult sailors to the joys and lessons the experience of sailing a classic schooner provides. Launched in 1932, she was designed by legendary naval architect Olin Stephens and has been with Mystic Seaport since 1953. Each year she sails on multi-day cruises up and down the eastern seaboard furthering the Museum’s mission of creating an enduring link to America’s maritime heritage.

Brilliant was named Sail Training Ship of the year by the American Sail Training Association in 1997.

“Being captain of the Brilliant requires someone who is not just an outstanding mariner, but someone who understands the special role the schooner plays in history of Mystic Seaport,” said Mystic Seaport president Steve White. “Brilliant is a public ambassador for the Museum and everything that makes sailing special. We believe Nicholas is the right person to have at her helm.”

Alley has been a licensed captain for over 25 years, including billets on the sailing vessels Westward, Harvey Gammage, Spirit of Massachusetts, Lettie G. Howard, and Pride of Baltimore II.  He brings extensive experience in sail training and education with organizations such as Outward Bound, the Sea Education Association, Ocean Classroom Foundation, New York’s South Street Seaport, and Boston’s New England Historic Seaport/Schools for Children.

Alley takes up the position effective March 5.

For more information about Brilliant and Mystic Seaport’s sail training programs, please visit mysticseaport.org/brilliant.

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 oldest American merchant vessel still afloat. For more information, please visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Museum Celebrates Reopening with Seasonal Event, Free Admission for Kids

Mystic Seaport celebrates its reopening with Winter’s Aweigh, a day of special activities on Saturday, Feb. 18. Kids will be admitted free (ages 17 and under).

Winter’s Aweigh will feature ice sculpting demonstrations, games of long ago on the village green (weather permitting), free horse and carriage rides, special music performances and merrymaking, storytelling, and working dog demonstrations by the Newfoundland Dog Club of New England.

Visitors are invited to get creative in the Winterscapes Open Art Studio in the Museum’s Schaefer Gallery.  They can work with a resident artist to create a temporary mural, design their favorite winter scene in a shadow box, or create an old-fashioned silhouette.

Hot drinks and snacks will be available for purchase from Coastal Gourmet. Also, Latitude 41° Restaurant will offer free meals to kids with the purchase of one adult entrée (Kids ages 10 and under; meals limited to the kids’ menu). The offer runs through Sunday. Feb. 26.

Winter’s Aweigh kicks off the Museum’s annual Liberty Days program during February school vacation. Mystic Seaport will offer the free youth admission promotion through Sunday, Feb. 26. The Museum will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Visitors are invited to take part in the following Liberty Days activities:

• See the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan from a kid’s point of view
• Free planetarium shows
• Build a wooden toy boat ($5 fee)
• Explore a sailor’s sea chest
• Other special kids’ activities, art projects, music programs, and storytelling happening throughout the week

Additionally, visitors can explore the Museum’s 19th century seafaring village; climb aboard historic vessels such as the Morgan and the 1921 Gloucester fishing schooner L.A. Dunton; and learn about the music of the sea in the new exhibit, “Neptune’s Orchestra.”

The Kids’ Free Admission offer at Mystic Seaport is not transferable. No other discounts apply.

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

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime history 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 afloat. For more information on hours and ticketing, please visit mysticseaport.org/visit.

Mystic Seaport is pleased to announce Jeffrey J. Dunn will join the Museum as the new supervisor of the Treworgy Planetarium.

Dunn will be responsible for the development and execution of all programs and curriculum at the Planetarium, including participation in the Museum’s innovative Science-to-Go and History-to-Go programs.

Dunn is currently a G.I.S. Analyst at the University of Connecticut, where he is a doctoral candidate. Dunn received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Geography from West Virginia University. He is a member of the Gamma Theta Upsilon International Honors Society.

At the University of Connecticut, Dunn’s work at the Map and Geographic Information Center and the Connecticut State Data Center (MAGIC/CTSDC) involved creating custom map products and leading the centers’ educator outreach programs.  Dunn’s expertise and technical skills cover traditional and modern survey and scientific equipment, the use of optical telescopes, and the ability to leverage the latest internet technologies.

“We believe Jeff’s extensive scientific and technical knowledge, plus his experience developing innovative educational resources for use by professionals as well as the general public, make him the ideal person to guide the Treworgy Planetarium into its next phase,” said Mystic Seaport President Stephen C. White. “He has a passion for astronomy that is clear from the moment you meet him.”

Dunn replaces Don Treworgy, who was Planetarium director for 44 years. The Planetarium was named in his honor in 2009.

Dunn’s hiring is effective January 31.

About the Treworgy Planetarium

The Treworgy Planetarium at Mystic Seaport seeks to educate visitors and students of the unique connection of astronomy and earth science to marine navigation and maritime history.  More than 22,500 people attended Planetarium programs every year. For more information about the Planetarium, please visit mysticseaport.org/planetarium.

Mark Kurlansky, author of the New York Times bestseller Cod, will be the first speaker at the 2012 Maritime Author Series at Mystic Seaport Wednesday, February 1.

The series runs selected Wednesday evenings February through April at Latitude 41° Restaurant from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets are $65 ($50 for members) for the series and $20 ($15 for members) for individual programs.

A wine and cheese reception will be hosted at 5:30 p.m., followed by the author’s presentation at 6 p.m. and then a question and answer session. One attendee at each program will also win a free copy of the author’s book.

Tickets are available for purchase online at https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/ or by calling 860.572.5399.

Featured speakers are:

February 1 – Mark Kurlansky and his 12-year-old daughter and fishing companion Talia, talk about the prolific author’s recent book, World Without Fish. Designed for younger readers, the book addresses the environmental crisis in the world’s oceans in an entertaining way, yet adults will find it teeming with history, biology and a thoughtful view of ecology.

February 29 – James L. Nelson, a distinguished authority on George Washington and the author of 15 works of fiction and nonfiction, will discuss George Washington’s Great Gamble, the story of the greatest naval engagement of the American Revolution. In 1781, Washington had to depend on the French to defeat the Royal Navy in a major naval campaign, but they had never before accomplished that feat. Based on his meticulous research, Nelson recounts the saga of the unpredictable circumstances that led to the British surrender at Yorktown.

March 28 – George C. Daughan tells the astounding story of the War of 1812, when a ragtag team of American commanders, seamen, and privateers took on the most powerful navy in the world. In his latest book, 1812: The Navy’s War, Daughan draws on his degrees in history, his military experience during the Vietnam War, and his teaching of international affairs at the U.S. Air Force to tell the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world’s greatest naval power.

April 25 – Paul Hendrickson, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, will discuss Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934-1961. The book traces the life of Ernest Hemingway during the key period from his pinnacle as the reigning monarch of American letters until his suicide. The author, himself an outdoorsman and fisherman, describes his personal visits to the Hemingway finca in Havana and his beloved Pilar, his fishing boat now owned by the Cuban Government. This nonfiction account follows the writer from Key West to Paris, Africa, Cuba and finally Idaho. Throughout these years, Hemingway always returned to Pilar, to find inspiration and relaxation in the sea.

This program is co-sponsored by the Museum’s Library Fellows.

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 wooden whaleship in the world. For more information, visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.