Mariners' Museum

Mariners' Museum

Coordinates: 37°03′18″N 76°29′16″W / 37.0550°N 76.4878°W / 37.0550; -76.4878

Mariners' Museum
Established 1930
Location 100 Museum Drive
Newport News, Virginia
United States
Type Maritime
Website Mariners' Museum

The Mariners' Museum is located in Newport News, Virginia. It is one of the largest maritime museums in the world as well as being the largest in North America.

Contents

History

The museum was founded in 1932 by Archer Milton Huntington, son of Collis P. Huntington, a railroad builder who brought the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to Warwick County, Virginia, and who founded the City of Newport News, its coal export facilities, and Newport News Shipbuilding in the late 19th century.

Archer and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, acquired 800 acres (3.2 km²) of land that would come to hold 61,000 square feet (5,700 m²) of exhibition galleries, a research library, a 167 acre (676,000 m²) lake, a five mile (8 km) shoreline trail with fourteen bridges, and over 35,000 maritime artifacts from around the globe. After acquisition took place, the first two years were devoted to creating and improving a natural park and constructing a dam to create Lake Maury, named after the nineteenth-century Virginia oceanographer Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury.

Artifacts, paintings, models

The Museum’s collection totals approximately 35,000 artifacts, of which approximately one-third are paintings and two-thirds are three-dimensional objects. The scope of the Museum's collection is international. Included are 10 permanent galleries, changing and traveling exhibits, and virtual galleries available through the museum website. The collection of over 600,000 prints and 35,000 maritime artifacts is international in scope and includes miniature ship models, scrimshaw, maritime paintings, decorative arts, carved figureheads, and working steam engines. The museum holds an important collection of paintings and drawings by marine artist James Bard.[1] The museum offers educational programs for all ages, a large research library and archives, as well as publications and Internet resources for teachers.

U.S.S. Monitor Center

New replica of the U.S.S. Monitor, dedicated March 9th, 2007

The Mariners' Museum is home to the U.S.S. Monitor Center. In 1973, the wreck of the ironclad U.S.S. Monitor, made famous in the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862 during the American Civil War was located on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean about 16 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.[2] The wreck site was designated as the United States' first national marine sanctuary. Monitor Sanctuary is the only one of the thirteen national marine sanctuaries created to protect a cultural resource, rather than a natural resource.[2]

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is now under the supervision of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[2] Many artifacts from Monitor, including her innovative turret, propeller, anchor, engine and some personal effects of the crew, have been brought to the museum. For several years, they were conserved in special tanks to stabilize the metal. The new U.S.S. Monitor Center officially opened on March 9, 2007, and a full-scale replica of the Monitor, the original recovered turret, and many artifacts and related items are now on display.[3][4] Current efforts are focused on restoring the engine.[5]


References

  1. ^ Mariner's Museum and Peluso, Anthony J., Jr., The Bard Brothers -- Painting America under Steam and Sail, Abrams, New York 1997 ISBN 0-8109-1240-6
  2. ^ a b c Dinsmore, David A; Broadwater, John D (1999). "1998 NOAA Research Expedition to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.". In: Hamilton RW, Pence DF, Kesling DE, eds. Assessment and Feasibility of Technical Diving Operations for Scientific Exploration. (American Academy of Underwater Sciences). http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/9000. Retrieved 2011-01-30. 
  3. ^ Ericson, Mark St. John (2007-03-09). "The center opens". Daily Press (Virginia). http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-monitoropening-m09,0,3701088.story. Retrieved 2011-01-30. 
  4. ^ Ericson, Mark St. John (2007-02-26). "Part 3: Replicating the mighty turret". Daily Press (Virginia). http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-monitorreplica,0,7193973.story. Retrieved 2011-01-30. 
  5. ^ Ericson, Mark St. John (2010-12-18). "Restoration efforts on Civil War steam engine progressing". Los Angeles Times. http://www.dailypress.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-monitor-engine-20101219,0,28882.story. Retrieved 2011-01-30. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mariners' Museum — ▪ museum, Newport News, Virginia, United States       museum in Newport News, Virginia, founded in 1930 by the author Archer M. Huntington and his wife, Anna, and devoted to the “culture of the sea.” Its notable collections include ship models… …   Universalium

  • Mariners' Church — For other uses, see Mariner s Church (disambiguation). Mariners Church U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Mariners' Church, Dún Laoghaire — Coordinates: 53°17′32″N 6°7′55.4″W / 53.29222°N 6.132056°W / 53.29222; 6.132056 …   Wikipedia

  • Maritime museum — USS Wisconsin is one of three Iowa class battleships opened to the public as a museum (berthed at Nauticus in Norfolk, VA), and one of two Iowa class battleships maintained in the US Mothball fleet. Although unlikely, there exists a possibility… …   Wikipedia

  • Seattle Mariners — 2012 Seattle Mariners season Established 1977 …   Wikipedia

  • National Maritime Museum of Ireland — Museum exterior Established 1978 Location Haigh Terrace, Dún Laoghaire Type …   Wikipedia

  • Whatcom Museum of History and Art — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Pointe-à-Callière Museum — is the Montreal museum of archaeology and history located in Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1992 as part of celebrations to mark Montreal s 350th birthday. Set atop the city s birthplace, the Museum shows collections of artefacts …   Wikipedia

  • National Maritime Museum — a museum in Greenwich, London, with a collection of paintings, boats and other historical items connected with the sea. * * * ▪ museum, Greenwich, London, United Kingdom       national museum concerned with the maritime history of Great Britain.… …   Universalium

  • Newport News, Virginia — This article is about the city in Virginia. For the shipyard formerly known as Newport News , see Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News. City of Newport News City Center at Oyster Point …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”