Everything about Mystic Seaport totally explained
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
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.
Livery
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
Buildings
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.
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.
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.
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mystic Seaport'.
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