Previous
Portland Harbor Museum (Visit this link)
Just a few hundred yards from Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, the museum
resides in a historic building on the waterfront in South Portland. In addition
to both permanent and changing exhibits, it offers a variety of programs
including lectures, school and group tours, special events, and research
opportunities. Other points of interest are within easy driving distance of the
museum, Bug Light Park and the Liberty Ship Memorial are less than a mile away.
Portland Harbor Museum's collections are composed of artifacts and documents
relevant to Casco Bay's ongoing maritime culture.The museum's holdings include
the Angell Glass Plate Negative Collection of over 500 photographic images from
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a major archival and artifact collection
from the South Portland Shipyards that produced Liberty Ships during World War
II, and other materials that revolve around the history of Portland Harbor from
its early settlement by Europeans to the present.
A large section of the only surviving American clipper ship, Snow Squall, is the
centerpiece of the museum's permanent exhibit on 19th century wooden
shipbuilding. In addition, the museum opens a changing exhibition annually. In
the past, exhibits have focused on topics such as Shipwrecks, A Day in the Life
of Portland Harbor, WWII Shipyards, and Heroes of the Tall Ships.
The United States Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the
museum in 1998. Built in 1897, it is one of a very few caisson lighthouses that
can be reached on foot -- a 900-foot breakwater provides access. The tower of
the lighthouse is open to the public for tours on specific, publicized dates,
and group tours of the lighthouse may be arranged in advance by contacting the
museum staff.
The museum is on the grounds of Fort Preble. Constructed in 1808 and active
through 1950, many of the coast artillery gun emplacements from both world wars
are still visible as are the granite Civil War casemates along the shore. Spring
Point Shoreline Walkway With historic markers and interpretive panels, the
walkway, which crosses the museum's doorstep, offers a stroll into history along
with spectacular views of Casco Bay, Portland Head Light, Portland Breakwater
"Bug" Light, the Liberty Ship Memorial, and the early harbor fortifications on
neighboring islands.Willard Beach and the 17th century Old Settlers' Cemetery
are also easily accessible from the Walkway.
The museum can accommodate groups of almost any size by prior arrangement. Group
visits generally begin with a tour of the museum galleries, but can include a
wide range of other activities as well such as guided walks of Fort Preble,
tours of Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, slide presentations on a variety of
subjects from lighthouses to the shipyards, and a boxed lunch in the historic
Portland Marine Society room. On selected dates throughout the summer, the
museum offers tours of Casco Bay's island forts.
Throughout the year, the museum sponsors lectures on topics tied to its mission
and exhibits. The lectures and fort tours are open to the general public. School
Activities Age of the Clipper Ships, the museum's program for fourth-graders,
takes students on a voyage to the mid-1800s in Maine. Portland Harbor in the
Colonial Days, especially designed for seventh-graders, is an internet-based
program that traces the history of the harbor from the 1620s to the American
Revolution. Both programs may include field trips to the museum, a visit to your
school by museum docents, or both.
The museum's gift shop offers a variety of unique items, many created by
regional artists and craftspeople. Open during museum hours, the shop features
merchandise that reflects the museum's focus on maritime history and culture.
http://www.portlandharbormuseum.org