Friday the 13th of May through Sunday May 15, 2018
We drove up to Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut which is one of my favorite places to visit. It’s famous for being the largest maritime museum in the U.S. and for its extensive library. The Seaport has a large collection of old sailing ships and boats stored on 19 acres along the Mystic River. Storytellers and historians bring the past back to life in the recreated 19th century seafaring village.
The heart of the seaport is the Charles W. Morgan, a three masted square rigged sailing ship launched in 1841. The Morgan is the last of an American whaling fleet sailing out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. It’s fun to climb aboard and explore the ship and imagine what it must have been like to hunt and process whales on board during the Morgan’s 80 year whaling career. With a crew of 35, signed on for 3-year stints, the ship “roamed every corner of the globe in pursuit of whales.”
George H. Stone & Company General Store 1850:
Mystic Press Printing Office:
The Cooperage: building casks, barrels, hogsheads, and tuns.
At the helm of the training ship, Joseph Conrad (1882):
The Thomas Oyster Company building was constructed in 1874 in New Haven, Connecticut and used as a “culling shop” to sort and shuck oysters for the 19th century seafood market on Long Island Sound.
The Mayflower II: Restoration of the wooden reproduction of the original Mayflower is continuing at Mystic Seaport. In 2020, the ship will be ready for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Watch out for this exciting event!
The Woodcarver’s Shop:
Mystic Seaport is a wonderful place to visit. We spent two half days there and still didn’t see everything. If you go, save your receipt because it can be used for free admission on the second day. A lot of good information can be found on mysticseaport.org