Mystic Seaport

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Mystic Seaport is a maritime museum situated along the banks of the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut, USA. It is notable both for its collection of sailing ships and boats, and for the re-creation of an entire 19th century seaport, consisting of over 60 original buildings, most of them rare commercial structures, moved to the 37 acre (150,000 m²) site and meticulously restored.

Overview of the seaport
Overview of the seaport

Contents

[edit] Overview

The museum was established in 1929 as the "Marine Historical Association". Its first fame came with the acquisition of the Charles W. Morgan in 1941, the only surviving wooden sailing whaler. The seaport now sees about 400,000 visitors each year. In addition, it supports research via an extensive library, runs a summer, graduate-level academic program that was established in 1955 by maritime historian Professor Robert G. Albion of Harvard University, the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies, and, in conjunction with Williams College, hosts Williams-Mystic, an undergraduate program in maritime studies.

Mystic Seaport is a popular destination for boaters, who pay to dock overnight just a short walk away from ships such as the Morgan and the Dunton.

[edit] Livery

Young people learn to sail here
Young people learn to sail here

Several of the vessels are the unique survivors of their type in the world. The collection includes:

Four of these ships have been designated National Historic Landmarks: Charles W. Morgan, L. A. Dunton, Emma C. Berry, and Sabino

[edit] Buildings

Street in Mystic Seaport, masts of Charles W. Morgan in background
Street in Mystic Seaport, masts of Charles W. Morgan in background

One of the main buildings of the museum is the Preservation Shipyard, where traditional tools and techniques are used to preserve the Museum's collection of historic vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan and a recreation of the Amistad, which set sail on June 21, 2007 from New Haven, Connecticut on a 14,000 mile transatlantic voyage to Great Britain, Lisbon, West Africa and the Caribbean to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery in Great Britain.

The 19th century seafaring village contains nearly all the types of general and specialized trades associated with building and operating a sailing fleet. They include a chandlery, sail loft, ropewalk, cooperage, shipping agent office, printing office, bank and others, including The Spouter Tavern which is open seasonally and serves visitors "travelers' fare." Each building is used both to show the activity for which it was used, and multiple display examples of the objects sold or constructed; for instance the nautical instruments shop displays sextants, nautical timepieces and the like and demonstrations at the cooperage show how barrels are assembled.

Additional buildings house more exhibits. One intriguing exhibit is a 1/128th scale model of the entire Mystic River area ca. 1870, complete down to the outhouse behind every residence; a modelling tour de force over 50 ft (15 m) long. Another contains a collection of carved figureheads. Also among the museum's buildings is a planetarium that helps to show and teach visitors how the stars were used by seamen for navigation.

[edit] Sailing

Sailing instruction is given here, as well as tourist rides at nominal cost in various historical small craft. For the tourist this will give an especially good overview of the historic ships at their moorings.

[edit] Music

Mystic Seaport's music program is unusual in that it prominently features sea shanties in their original contexts, as work songs. Regular sessions find shanty singers keeping museum visitors in line as they haul sails or turn a capstan.

The Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival, held annually in June since 1979, is among the oldest and largest such in the United States.

[edit] References in Music

The Mystic Seaport is mentioned in the song Walcott by the band Vampire Weekend on their eponymous debut album released in 2008.

[edit] See also

  • Whaleboat - examples shown are at Mystic Seaport
  • The official Mystic Seaport Podcast ia available on MuseumPods [2] the Museum Podcast Directory.
  • Steven Spielberg's Amistad, which used Mystic Seaport as a set representing 1830s New Haven.

[edit] References

  • Maynard Bray, Benjamin Fuller, and Peter Vermilya Mystic Seaport Watercraft (2002) ISBN 0-913372-94-3

[edit] External links