fbpx
Categories
News

The Role of a Museum

What is the role of a museum in these times of turmoil? As an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums, we subscribe to their statement:

“The museum field not only has a responsibility to ask the hard questions and learn from each other, we have a unique duty to listen, to chronicle the lessons and histories of our communities, and to educate future generations so that we might stop this senseless violence.”

We are a maritime museum that strives to tell the national story of America and the sea, to uncover and present that history–everyone’s history–for our country, so that we can learn the lessons that will help us create a just future for all. As such, Mystic Seaport Museum stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the black community to support their call for an end to racism and the violence it engenders.

Steve White, President, Mystic Seaport Museum

Categories
News

Museum Partners with Discovering Amistad on Anti-Racism, Diversity Programming

Schooner Amistad
Schooner AMISTAD at Mystic Seaport Museum, June 2020.

Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad announce they are collaborating to develop new programs to combat racism and promote diversity. The schooner Amistad, docked for the summer at the museum, will be a platform for education, discussion, and outreach. The two organizations will combine staff and resources to nurture engagement and meaningful interaction on the subject.

“We are saddened and dismayed by the death of George Floyd and other recent abhorrent acts of racism. Mystic Seaport Museum condemns all forms of racism and discrimination. As a maritime institution, we acknowledge the painful maritime roots in African American history, and we are compelled to act — and that begins with listening. Our two organizations can pull together people of all ages and races to increase awareness of social injustices and take positive, proactive steps that will benefit the broader community,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.

“Discovering Amistad teaches students and adults about the history of racism in this country. In teaching this history our organization also cites examples of the harm racism brings to all of us, and what steps we all need to take to reduce and eliminate it. The recent hateful and horrific events make it imperative that we work together with Mystic Seaport Museum and others to begin an intensive effort to end racism in this country once and for all,” said Len Miller, chairman of Discovering Amistad.

The two organizations agree that endemic racism is a cancer eroding the values of inclusivity and equality that this country holds dear, and that this moment calls for action at all levels to fight this persistent, toxic presence. They further agree that by combining their assets and capabilities, they can effect a greater impact on the issue than they could alone.

The schooner Amistad is a replica of the ship involved in the 1839 Amistad Uprising, in which a group of captives from Sierra Leone being transported across the Atlantic for the purposes of slavery overpowered the crew and took control of the vessel, eventually ending up in New London, Conn. In a landmark 1841 decision, the US Supreme Court set the captives free.

Discovering Amistad developed an interactive, proprietary curriculum that addresses equity and adheres to the most up-to-date national C3 (College, Career and Civic Life) social studies framework. The lessons begin with the 1839 uprising and the subsequent Supreme Court decision and move through the arc of more than 175 years of history — from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Era and up to the present day. The program is the only one of its kind. With lessons conducted by specially trained educators in classrooms and aboard the ship, history comes to life as the past becomes a framework for addressing present challenges related to diverse social issues.

Details of the joint programming will be released in the coming weeks.

About Discovering Amistad

Discovering Amistad is an educational organization that provides full year programming on its tall ship, The Amistad, in classrooms, and at historic sites of partner organizations. It enables children and adults in Connecticut and the region to discover the story of The Amistad and its impact on the state and the nation. Importantly the Organization provides learning opportunities for children and adults to discover the relevance of The Amistad story to social and racial justice in today’s world. Visit discoveringamistad.org for more information.

Categories
News

AAM Honors Museum with Sustainability Award

Mystic Seaport Museum is one of four museums in the country to be recognized with a 2020 Sustainability Excellence Award, presented by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).

AAM LogoFirst presented in 2014, the awards recognize sustainability efforts in facilities, programming, and exhibits in both large and small institutions. In the last five years, the award program has recognized 20 different museums for their efforts.

Mystic Seaport Museum received a Special Award of Merit for its accomplishments in eliminating single-use plastic on its entire 19-acre site. The awards jury “was impressed by the institution’s comprehensive approach: the attention paid to inculcating behavior change; addressing cost challenges; data collection and analysis; and the detailed documentation of its process,” the award announcement stated.

“The Mystic Seaport [Museum] is a powerful example that illustrates a deep dive in one sustainability topic that was consistently tackled with rigor,” said Joyce S. Lee, the Jury Chair for the Facility Award.

The Sustainability Excellence Awards, which strongly encourage museum energy benchmarking to address climate action, are sponsored by the Environment and Climate Network, a professional network of AAM members committed to establishing museums as leaders in environmental sustainability. The other museums receiving 2020 awards are the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures in Urbana, IL, the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, WA, and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA.

Reducing Single-Use Plastics

In February 2019, Mystic Seaport Museum announced an initiative to work toward eliminating single-use plastics on its 19-acre site on the Mystic River. In collaboration with its reatail and food service partners, Event Network and Coastal Gourmet, the Museum implemented a long list of single-use plastic reductions in the bake shop, Museum Store, restaurants, event catering, the Sailing Center, and across the grounds, which includes elimination of plastic straws, cups, lids, takeaway containers, and bags; the addition of reusable bags, water bottles, coffee mugs, and many other eco-friendly products in the Museum store; installation of three water bottle refill stations; promotion of noted days throughout the year such as Earth Day, Plastic Free July, World Oceans Day, and America Recycles Day, and many other efforts.

Categories
News

Mystic Seaport Museum COVID Policies

COVID-19 Guidelines

The Museum will be abiding to the guidelines and regulations set by the state, federal, and local authorities and will follow all best practices concerning public health.

Mystic Seaport Museum has put in place preventative measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19; however the Museum cannot guarantee that you and your party will not be exposed if you choose to enter the property. As set forth in state guidance, while these guidelines have allowed the Museum to open as safely as possible, the risks to visitors cannot be fully mitigated.  Mystic Seaport Museum assumes no liability for this potential exposure.

  • Visitors are no longer required to wear a mask when in an indoors space at the Museum.
  • Visitors are expected to observe six-foot social distancing.
  • Please respect signage on the grounds, including social distancing markers and signage regarding maximum occupancy in exhibit areas.
  • Hand sanitizer will be made available at entrance points and other common areas.  Please also consider bringing your own hand sanitizer and wipes for your own safety.
  • If you or someone in your party is experiencing COVID-19 CDC-defined symptoms, you may not enter.  If you believe you may have been exposed to the coronavirus we ask that you do not visit at this time.

Please note these policies are subject to change without notice as the situation demands. Mystic Seaport Museum is committed to providing a safe environment and asks for your help in making this a great experience for everyone.

Potential violations of these rules may be reported to the state hotline (211).

Revised February 28, 2022.

Categories
News Press Releases

Hotel Project Delay

The hotel as seen from the Cruising Club of America dock on the north end of the Museum grounds. (Credit: Beinfield Architects)
A rendering of the hotel as seen from the Cruising Club of America dock on the north end of the Museum grounds. (Credit: Beinfield Architects)

Mystic Seaport Museum announced today the Greenwich Hospitality Group (GHG) will delay for one year construction of the new Delamar Mystic Hotel until spring of 2022.

Citing the economic and market uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GHG decided to push out the project 12 months. The 26-room boutique hotel and restaurant is to be built on Museum property that is the present site of Latitude 41 Restaurant & Tavern. The project received approval from the Town of Stonington on March 6. Construction was scheduled to begin in early 2021. It is now planned to begin in early 2022

Latitude 41 Restaurant & Tavern
Latitude 41 Restaurant & Tavern

The Museum also announced today it has reached an agreement to immediately extend its event catering and food service contract with the Mystic-based Coastal Gourmet Group for one year. Coastal Gourmet operates Latitude 41 Restaurant and provides retail dining and catering in the River Room, Claggett Boat Shed, and the North Lawn for weddings, corporate gatherings, and other events. The announced plan to demolish Latitude 41 is delayed until early 2022, and the restaurant will continue to operate through the duration of the new contract through December 31, 2021.

“We are very pleased to be able to continue our relationship with Coastal Gourmet Group as they have been outstanding partners with the Museum for many years,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum.

 

Categories
News

Our Business Goes On

We recently had to make the difficult and upsetting decision to reduce our workforce. This move was taken only as a last resort to preserve our ability to reopen to the public when this crisis has passed.

Some have understood the move to mean that the Museum is permanently closing.  Contrary to media reports, that conclusion is absolutely not the case. Be assured the business of the Museum continues. There is a corps of dedicated staff members who are making sure the institution’s collections – ashore and afloat – the campus, and its intellectual assets are preserved and maintained. They will ensure we will be in a position to reopen to the public as soon as the State of Connecticut issues us permission to do so and we are certain we can do so safely.

The 1866 Noank smack EMMA C. BERRY.
The 1866 Noank smack EMMA C. BERRY.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect us all in broad and unpredictable ways. Normally, at this time of year we would be putting the final touches on planning for Pirate Days, holding classes and workshops and hosting school programs all over the campus, preparing the Maritime Gallery for its spring show, opening up the Boathouse, and getting ready for our annual Members meeting. Obviously, that is not the situation we find ourselves in today and we are in the process of rescheduling exhibitions and programs to a later date.

On March 12, we made the difficult, but proactive, choice to close the Museum to the public through the end of the month. Staff were asked to work while observing social distancing and other recommended practices. Then, our Governor issued Executive Order 7H requiring that non-essential businesses close and that public stay home, now through at least the month of April. Faced with these facts and an even more uncertain future, we had to make the difficult decision to significantly reduce our level of staffing. As we are unable to open our doors to the public to generate revenue, we had to take action to preserve and maintain financial sustainability during this unprecedented period of economic turmoil. We have responded in the same manner as many other businesses in our region, and indeed our country.

In the meantime, we are leveraging our digital capabilities to bring the Museum to you via online classes for children and adults via Zoom, YouTube, and our social media channels. We just launched a new digital content hub where all of these pieces, new and old, will be gathered for you to find in one convenient place. You can find it at stories.mysticseaport.org/. It is free and open to anyone who wants to explore maritime history.

This is not the first time Mystic Seaport Museum has overcome adversity. We were founded 90 years ago at the onset of the Great Depression, and we have survived all of the trials and travails of American society since that time, such as World War II, the September 11 attacks, and the Great Recession.  We are a resilient organization and we will emerge as strong as ever.

We need your help while we wait for the day we can open our gates and welcome visitors again. Please consider making an unrestricted gift to the Museum–the timing has never been more urgent! We are deeply appreciative of our community. Now we need your generous support so we can weather the COVID-19 Pandemic and reopen again. Together we can come through this challenge.

Sincerely,

Steve White signature

 

 

 

Steve White
President

 

You can make your gift to support the mission of Mystic Seaport Museum online:

Donate

 

Categories
News

A Walk through the Watercraft Hall – Part II

[embedit snippet=”watercraft-hall-tour-part-ii”]

Join our vice president for Watercraft Preservation and Programs, Chris Gasiorek, as he tours the back room of our watercraft hall, the “Broom Closet.”

Categories
News

Shooting Lunars at Mystic Seaport Museum

Telling time by lunar distances, the angle from the Sun to the Moon in the most common case, is an extension of one of the oldest methods of telling time: reading the phase of the Moon. Pre-modern cultures widely used the Moon for dates. In this image, we can tell the order of the images by date. The photos were taken each evening on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They’re not in the correct order. Which one is Tuesday?

 By Frank Reed

Mystic Seaport Museum offers one of the world’s best classes in both modern and historical celestial navigation. Among the classes is a unique workshop, “Celestial Navigation in the Age of Sail,” which focuses on 19th-century navigation in the whaling era using primary source evidence from the voyages of the Museum’s Charles W. Morgan. The Museum also offer the workshop “Lunars: Finding Longitude by Lunar Distances,” which is the only class in the history, modern practice, and science of lunars that is offered anywhere in the world.

The special celestial observations called lunars were once the epitome of the science of celestial navigation. In the late 18th century through the middle of the 19th century, when chronometers (accurate clocks for use at sea) were rare and expensive, navigators could use the Moon as a natural clock in the sky. As the Moon travels around the celestial sphere, making one revolution in a month, shifting from one constellation to another each night, navigators would measure its position relative to the Sun and stars and determine the absolute time, the so-called Greenwich Time, to the nearest 15-30 seconds. By comparing absolute time with local time, which was found from a simple altitude of the Sun or a star, navigators could determine their longitude, their distance east/west from the prime meridian at Greenwich.

From the logbook of the brig “Reaper” which was on a voyage from Boston to Yemen and India. This page shows some lunar work by Captain Isaac Hinckley, dated July 5, 1809.

In the logbook of the first voyage of the Charles W. Morgan in the early 1840s, we find instances where the crew recorded their longitude as determined by Lunar (often spelled eccentrically as “Luner”). Other logbooks in the collection of Mystic Seaport Museum, especially in earlier decades, include numerous examples of navigating by lunars.

Shooting a lunar was a bit art, a bit science, and a bit magic for a person aboard a vessel 150 to 250 years ago who was not trained in the method. A navigator would hold a sextant more or less sideways, catching the Sun or one of the standard lunars stars in the instrument’s primary view and rotating the sextant until the Moon appeared superimposed by reflection from the movable index mirror. Then by carefully, delicately adjusting the instrument, the Sun or star would be aligned until it just touched the bright limb or edge of the Moon. The exact angle in degrees, minutes, and seconds would then be read from the finely-engraved arc. With the measured angle in hand, the navigator would retire below deck to work some calculations, removing the effects of refraction and especially parallax (the shift in the Moon’s position caused by being relatively close to the Earth, only a quarter of a million miles away). The math might take 15 minutes. The cleared distance would be compared with pre-computed distances listed in the Nautical Almanac for every three hours of Greenwich Time. If the observed and corrected distance was some fraction of the angle between the listed distances, then the navigator knew that his or her own Greenwich Time was that same fraction through the three-hour interval.

Visually, looking through the sextant, the navigator would bring the Sun’s edge, or “limb,” into contact with the limb of the Moon. If the contact was exact, the time could be determined to within five seconds and the longitude would be right to the nearest mile or so. If the gap was as large as 0.3 minutes of arc as in this image (60 minutes of arc in one degree), then the error would be 36 seconds of time, and the longitude would be wrong by almost 10 miles.

Lunars died out slowly during the 19th century, at least in maritime practice, as chronometers, those exquisite marine clocks that could carry Greenwich Time around the world, became less expensive and more common. By the end of the 19th century, lunars had become so rare that Joshua Slocum, the first solo circumnavigator, bragged in 1899 about a single lunar observation performed near the Marqueses on his long voyage. In his Sailing Alone Around the World, Slocum wrote a nice epitaph for 19th-century lunars: “The work of the lunarian … is beautifully edifying, and there is nothing in the realm of navigation that lifts one’s heart up more in adoration.” Meanwhile, another author had declared lunars “as dead as Julius Caesar” in the previous decade!

An engraving from “Megarey’s Nautical Almanac” from 1843 illustrating in a quaint way the process of a lunar. The navigator aboard his de-masted vessel is holding a sextant and using it to bring a star across the sky into contact with the Moon’s limb thus measuring the lunar distance. The lunar distance provides absolute time or GMT. The navigator compares that with local time, frequently kept on a watch, which we see “floating” next to him.

And yet even in the 21st century, when we have no need for them for time or longitude, navigators study and make themselves experts at lunars for the challenge and because they remain the ultimate test of a navigator’s skill with a sextant. To do lunars right, navigators must be masters of their sextants and of their math. And once we’ve learned the tricks, they’re fun, too! Lunars are much easier than their traditional reputation suggests, and any navigator can benefit from learning how to shoot and work them.

In the Lunar class at Mystic Seaport Museum, we cover the finer points of adjusting sextants and achieving the highest accuracy from the instruments. We look at the history using primary source materials from the Museum’s collection, and we learn about the intriguing math and science that makes these sights possible and practical. We even discuss the strange renaissance in lunars that occurred in the late 1960s when astronauts shot lunars on their way to the Moon. Weather-permitting, we shoot lunars from the deck of the Charles W. Morgan, just as those early crews did in the middle of the 19th century.

Frank Reed has taught navigation classes at Mystic Seaport Museum for more than a decade. He is a recent guest expert in celestial navigation on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk science talk show on the National Geographic Channel.

 

Categories
News

Video: A Walk through the Watercraft Hall – Part I

[embedit snippet=”watercraft-hall-tour-part-i”]

Join Chris Gasiorek, our vice president of Watercraft Preservation and Programs, for an impromptu tour of our watercraft collection.

Categories
News

Mystic Seaport Museum for Educators

Search