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Penobscot Marine Museum
SEARSPORT — The Penobscot Marine Museum is a 13-building seafaring village located on Route 1. Visitors enter the 19th-century world of seagoing families from coastal Maine and especially Penobscot Bay. The museum complex is part of the original “townscape,” and is designed to entertain presentations that highlight life at the water’s edge.
There is a library and archive, renowned for its fine collections, and additional exhibit space in the library’s Phyllis E. Dillown Reading Room (closed weekends). When visitors are ready to “go ashore,” the Museum Shop on Main Street offers books and elegant gifts as reminders of their visit.
In the Carver Memorial Art Gallery, Penobscot Marine Museum will be showing contemporary marine art, featuring about eight artists from along the Maine coast. The exhibit will run from May 25 — Sept. 2. A new exhibit opens on Sept. 9, featuring the museum’s premier collection of Thomas and James Buttersworth paintings. This collection, one of the largest in the country, will be displayed along with some Liverpool port paintings, also from the museum’s permanent collection. Other artists in display will be Robert Salmon, William Yorke and Antonio Jacobsen.
For information about the museum’s ongoing activities and exhibits, call 548-2529 or visit the Web site: www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org.
Following is a list of sites that comprise the Penobscot Marine Museum.
• Fowler-True-Ross House and Barn. Furnished in the Victorian period, this former sea captain’s home (c. 1805/1837) displays the material world that 19th-century seafaring families enjoyed. Personal treasures from around the world speak to the wide travels of these families.
• Museum Education Center. This historic schoolhouse and Congregational Church vestry, newly renovated, provide spaces for the museum’s education programs and rotating exhibitions.
• Ross Carriage Barn. Currently used for seasonally changing displays of small craft.
• Museum Workshop.
• Nickels-Colcord-Duncan Barn (c. 1850). The museum’s regional water-craft collection is found on two floors: commercial fisheries (lower level) and recreational small boats (upper level).
• Nickels-Colcord-Duncan House (c. 1850). Museum administrative offices.
• Capt. Jeremiah Merithew House (c. 1830). “Storm at Sea” a quilt by the Stonington Fishermen’s Wives Co-op. “Working the Bay” An on-going exhibit of life and industries, including fishing, ice harvesting, logging, around Penobscot Bay during the 19th century. “The Marine Art of Thomas and James Buttersworth,” lets guests explore a world filled with naval battles, swift packets, clipper ships and slender, elegant yachts through the magnificent paintings of Thomas (1768-1842) and James (1817-1894) Buttersworth. “Sails on Canvas: The Maritime Needlepoint of William Whorf” features selected examples of original needlework designed and hand worked by William Whorf. A new exhibit of scrimshaw from the museum’s permanent collection will be installed for 2002.
• Old Town Hall has two exhibits, “Challenge of the Down-Easters,” which features 19th century ships, sea captains and the seafaring life and “The Childhood Sea Adventures of Lincoln and Joanna Colcord.” This exhibit chronicles life at sea as detailed through the letters, memorabilia, photographs and writings of two sea-going children.
• Congregational Church. An active congregation worships here.
• Stephen Phillips Memorial Library. The museum’s research center, open year-round, houses extensive collections of materials ranging from maritime history to genealogy. The reading room features selected artwork from the museum’s collections.
• Museum Store. A sizable gift shop on Main Street.
• Library Reading Room. “Liverpool Port Painters: Heard, Hughes, Salmon, Waldron & Yorke,” a 19th center ship portraiture from Liverpool, England.
• Library / Gallery Foyer. In the gallery foyer there will be changing exhibits, including maritime folk art (featuring ships-in-bottles and fish decoys), and pressed glass sugar bowls and butter dishes.
• Recent acquisitions exhibit will feature some of the donated artifacts from 2001.
• Douglas and Margaret Carver Memorial Art Gallery. Houses special seasonal exhibits.