Mystic Seaport has an excellent web site all their own. For the most part, except for facts and dates, the information contained herein is not duplicated on the Seaport's own web site. To go beyond what is covered here, or just to get more information be sure and visit the Mystic Seaport website.

What is Mystic Seaport?
The mission of Mystic Seaport is to create a broad public understanding of the relationship between America and the sea.

In 1929, three residents of Mystic, Connecticut — Dr. Charles K. Stillman, Edward E. Bradley and Carl D. Cutler — formed the Marine Historical Association, Inc., for the purpose of establishing a museum and preserving the rapidly disappearing remnants of America's maritime past. The museum's name was changed in 1978 to Mystic Seaport. Through the generosity of friends all over the world, Mystic Seaport has become the nation's leading maritime museum housing the largest collection of boats and maritime photography in the world. Today the museum's mission is to create a broad, public understanding of the relationship between America and the sea.

Unlike ordinary museums, Mystic Seaport is indoor and outdoor. Perhaps best known for its 19th century village area of historic homes, trade shops and tall ships, Mystic Seaport includes a preservation shipyard, a nationally renowned research library, exhibit galleries, a planetarium, a children's museum and unparalleled collections of maritime art, artifacts and photography. Educational programs range from preschool to accredited, graduate-level courses, from boat building to open-hearth cooking.

The Vessels
With more than 480 vessels, Mystic Seaport holds the largest collection of ships and boats in the world. Mystic Seaport's three largest vessels may be boarded by visitors. The Charles W. Morgan (1841) is a National Historic Landmark and America's last surviving wooden shaleship. It is Mystic Seaport's centerpiece exhibit. On board visitors watch sail setting demonstrations, see a reenactment of the whale hunt and go below deck to the stifling crew's quarters.

The museum also berths the full-rigged training ship, Joseph Conrad, which serves as a dormitory for Mystic Seaport's educational programs. Built in 1882 as a training vessel in the Danish merchant service, she was renamed the Joseph Conrad in 1934. Today she is a floating exhibit and is often used as a site for the eclectic "Dead Horse Ceremony."

The third tall ship is the L.A. Dunton, a fishing schooner built in 1921. She is the last surviving example of the round-bow fishing vessel that was common in New England fishing ports in the first quarter of this century. The 123 foot schooner represents an important stage in New England's fishing industry, namely the transition between sail and diesel powered vessels. Visitors can watch a demonstration of raising the anchor, splitting and salting cod, or a dory demonstration of the fishing techniques used on board. Belowdecks visitors can see the cramped quarters and still smell the salted cod stored below.

The steamboat Sabino, (1908), which makes passenger runs mid-May to mid-October on the Mystic River, carries one of the last coal-fired steam engines. She may be seen at her pier or underway on the river.

Many small boats are on display in the Small Boat Exhibit and the North Boat Shed. Some of the small vessels are afloat at the museum's docks, including the Noank smack, Emma C. Berry, the Friendship sloop, Estella A., the oyster sloop, Nellie, the sandbagger sloop Annie, the pinky schooner italidRegina M., the rubgoat Kings Ton II, and the 1926 fishing dragger, Florance.

Exhibit Galleries
Several large buildings are devoted to the display of maritime art and artifacts. The three-story Stillman Building houses ship models, paintings and scrumshaw. Exhibits in the P.R. Mallory Building explain the shipping and ship building business of the Mallory family during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Wendell Building houses an exhibit of figureheads and ship carvings. The R.J. Schaefer Building has changing gallery exhibits of the museum's paintings, prints and other maritime artifacts. The North Boat Shed displays a selection of beautifully restored small craft from the museum's large collection. Vintage photos show the boats in use at the turn of the century.

The B.F. Packard exhibit displays the after cabin of the Benjamin F. packard. The ornate woodwork and fine apponitments were taken from the scuttled clipper ship and rebuilt into the interior of a manufacturing building belonging to the Greenman Brothers' manufacturing company on this site in the late 1800's.

The 19th Century Village Area
The coastal life area is intended to give visitors an impression of 19th century seafaring communities. The skills of some of the maritime trades are demonstrated in the shipsmith shop, the ship carver's shop, and the cooperage. Other buildings in this area include the bank, shipping office, grocery and hardware store, printing office, chapel, schoolhouse, drug store, rope walk, nautical instrument store, mast hoop shop, tavern and ship chandlery. The Thomas Oyster House and New Shoreham Lifesaving Station are also in the village area. Many of the shops and homes were brought to the museum from locations in Mystic or from other locations around New England. Buildings ont heir original sites include the Greenman Houses, Stillman Building, Edmundson House and Wendell Building.

Children's Museum
The Children's Museum provides a hands-on environment for children and their parents to explore together. It is a special place where the younger visitor can discover our maritime heritage. The exhibit is organized around the theme of "It's A Sailor's Life For Me." Children seven and under can swab the deck, move cargo, cook in the galley, dress in sailors' garb and sleep in sailors' bunks.

Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard
Mystic Seaport's Preservation Shipyard is a unique world famous facility which has the equipment and craftsmen required to perform anyt ask in the restoration and preservation of wooden vessels. Completed in 1972, the shipyard consists of a large main shop, where a visitors' gallery overlooks carpenters' shops, an 85-foot spar lathe, a rigging loft and a large open area where vessels are brought indoors for repair. A paint shop and metal working shop, documentation shop, lumber shed and saw mill are nearby. Central to the facility is a 375-ton capacity lift dock capable of raising any of the museum's ships out of the water for repair or maintenance.

Sabino and Boathouse
The steamship Sabino, built in East Boothbay, Maine in 1908, is a fully operational exhibit vessel that represents the influence of steam power in American maritime history. During her working life she served the islands of Casco Bay, Maine, where steamboats were the principal means of transportation. She is believed to be the last coal-fired passenger carrier still operating in the United States. She is still powered by her original steam engine.

Visitors board Sabino for a half-hour cruise on the Mystic River from May to mid-October. An additional fee helps pay Sabino's operating costs. On board, passengers hear about her history and the history of the Mystic River from crew members. In the evening there are 0-minute cruises for the public. Sabino is also available for charter to groups.

The Boathouse allows visitors to get a waterside tour of the museum from a small craft. Visitors see a unique side of Mystic as they row, sail or motor past the tall ships. The 20 foot wooden Crosby catboat, Breck Marshall, was built in the small boat shop. Half-hour sails with a licensed captain leave from the boathouse. The Herreshoff tender Resolute leads visitors on a motored tour of the water. Sailboats and rowboats are available for rental.

The Sail Education Program gives young people, ages 12-16 exposure to a variety of nautical subjects. Living aboard the Joseph Conrad, the students learn the fundamentals of sailing, small boat safety, weather, use of the marlinespike, seamanship and maritime history. The 61-foot auxiliary schooner Brilliant takes week-long cruises, giving young people, ages 15 to 19 the experience of life aboard a sailing vessel. Basic sailing courses for adults and children are offered in spring and fall. Adult weekend sails aboard Brilliant take place in May and September.

The Frank C. Munson Memorial Institute of Maritime Studies
Each summer graduate-level courses in American maritime history are offered at Mystic Seaport through the Munson Institute. Designed primarily for secondary school history teachers and graduate students, the courses are accredited by four universities including the University of Connecticut and Trinity College.

The Williams College-Mystic Seaport Program in American Maritime Studies is a semester-long undergraduate program consisting of courses in American Maritime History, Literature of the Sea, Oceanography or Marine Biology, and Public Policy for Marine and Coastal Resources. Accredited by Williams College, the program is open to students attending four-year accredited colleges.

Seasonal Programs and Special Events
Demonstrations of sail setting and furling and a reenactment of the whale hunt happen in the warmer months on board the Charles W. Morgan. Chantey singing and a breeches buoy sea to land rescue drill take place on the village green. Codfish splitting, salting and drying, raising an anchor, and a fishing dory demonstration may be seen most of the year on the L.A. Dunton. Open hearth cooking is demonstrated throughout the year in the Buckingham Hall House kitchen. Handbills are printed on a 19th century press, which is operated daily. At specified times staff, roleplaying in one of the village exhibits, bring to life 19th century characters.

More than 130 programs and activities take place at Mystic Seaport each year. Special events include May's Lobsterfest, the June Sea Music Festival, the July Antique & Classic Boat Rendezvous, August's Taste of History and Antique engine Exposition, Chowderfest for Columbus Day Weekend, and Mystic Seaport Field Days during Thanksgiving weekend. In December, there are Christmas tours — the daytime Yuletide Tours and the evening Lantern Light Tours. Special weeks emphasizing activities for children are schedule during school vacation periods.

The Planetarium
Since early times navigators have used the heavenly bodies to determine their ship's position at sea. Even in this electronic age mariners rely on celestial navigation for position finding. A permanent exhibit in the entry of the Planetarium presents the basics of celestial navigation and includes an interactive computer program. Daily programs in the Planetarium illustrate the night sky for visitors. Groups of children or adults may, by arrange ment with the Education Department, have special presentations in the Planetarium. Classes in celestial navigation, piloting, dead reckoning and astronomy for adults and an astronomy class for children are offered by the Planetarium staff during the year.

Small Boat Shop
The purpose of the Small Boat Shop is to study, teach and encourage the construction and use of traditional small sailing and rowing boats. Museum staff conduct field work and research into small craft construction and use, publish articles and books, sell line plans and construction drawings and offer boat building classes.

Replicas of historically significant small craft are built by the staff for use on the Mystic River and for the instruction and demonstration of boat-building techniques. Recent examples include a replica of the Breck Marshall, chamberlain skiffs, and catboats from designs by Crosby and Gil Smith.

The annual Small Craft Workshop, a two-day gathering in June of traditional boat owners, professional and amateur builders and enthusiasts, allows participants to compare boats and ideas and to learn more about wooden small craft construction and use.

Education Programs
Mystic Seaport offers a variety of special educational programs in maritime history and other fields of maritime interest. School groups make day trips or overnight stays aboard the square-rigged training ship Joseph Conrad. Museum teachers travel to the classroom to give maritime programs tailored to the needs and levels of the students.

G.W. Blunt White Library
The G.W. Blunt White Library, specializing in American maritime history, has one of the most complete collections of its kind. The library contains more than 560,000 manuscripts and charts. Periodicals and microfilm cover such filds as marine engineering, shipbuilding, navigation, marine archaeology, fisheries and polar explorations. Information on maritime folklore, sea chanteys and the arts and crafts of coastal life is also available. Unusual items in the library include a large collection of ships' log-books, the complete New York Maritime Register and an extensive rare books collection. The G.W. Blunt White Library subscribes to an inter-library loan system.

Membership
Mystic Seaport has more than 21,500 members from all 50 states and 31 foreign countries. Members are entitled to unlimited free admission to the museum, discounts at the Mystic Seaport Museum Stores, discounted guest tickets, reduced boat dockage rates and special admission to museum classes and programs. Members also receive the msueum's quarterly publication, The Log.

Organization
Mystic Seaport, Inc. is governed by a Board of Trustees headed by a Chairman. J. Revell Carr is President and Director. There are four Vice Presidents covering the following areas; Curatorial and Education Programs, Watercraft Preservation and Facilities Management, Development and Communications. There are approximately 250 people on the staff, about 100 more in the summer months and more than 500 volunteers who contribute nearly 40,000 hours yearly.

Funding
A large portion of Mystic Seaport's annual operating budget (approximately 40%) comes from visitors' admission fees. Other revenues include membership dues, tax deductible contributions, program fees and income from endowments.

Publications
Mystic Seaport's Publications Department is responsible for the museum's publishing efforts, including books, monographs and The Log, the quarterly publication for members. Books published by Mystic Seaport include the distinguished American Maritime Library, a series of authoritative works relating to our maritime heritage; monographs on a variety of maritime subjects and a comprehensive series of crafts of coastal life is also available.

Mystic Seaport Museum Stores
Mystic Seaport Museum Stores are located at the entrance of Mystic Seaport. The stores include a gift shop, bake shop, prints and framing shop and the largest maritime bookstore in the country. Mystic Maritime Gallery, a part of Mystic Seaport Museum Stores and the nation's leading contemporary marine art gallery, exhibits and sells infe art including paintings, sculpture and scrimshaw.

Restaurants
The Seamen's Inne Restaurant, located near Mystic Seaport's north entrance serves lunch and dinner throughout the year. The Samuel Adams Pub offers hearty drinks and entertainment. During the summer, meals are served on the terrace. Children's menus are always available. Primate parties, meetings, receptions and summer clambakes may be arranged through the Seaman's Inne Staff. The Galley Restaurant, located ont he museum's grounds near the south green, offers museum visitors fast food service all year round, serving lobster-in-the-rough, chowder and seafood as well as hamburgers and hot dogs. Groups can enjoy a clambake served at Lighthouse Point on the museum grounds, or choose from a variety of menus for a custom-catered dinner, luncheon or cocktail reception. Arrangements can be made through the museum's Catering Department.

How to Reach Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport is conveniently located one mile south of I-95, exit 90 and offers many amenities to make your visit comfortable: free parking, wheelchairs, strollers, restrooms, restaurants, phones and shopping. Amtrak trains serve New London and Mystic daily from New York and Boston on a limited schedule. Bus, ferry and air service is available to and from nearby points.

"Amistad" the Movie
The Amistad story begins in 1839 when 53 Africans who were being illegally sold into slavery mutinied on board the notorious schooner. Seized off the Connecticut coast and charged with piracy and murder, the Africans ultimately won their freedom when John Quincy Adams, influenced by the strong Connecticut abolitionist movement, came out of retirement to argue their case before the Supreme Court.

Steven Spielberg directed the movie "Amistad" in which Mystic Seaport has been an important resource for the production as well as a location for filming in early 1997. The Seaport was staged as New Haven in the movie.

All in all Mystic Seaport is wonderful place. Visitors have a delightfully different experience depending on the time of year in which they visit. Activities, demonstrations and exhibits change seasonally.