Welcome to Penobscot Marine Museum's Blog for Families
The Waterspout
This first-hand account of an 1869 shipwreck and the waterspout that caused it was dictated by Oliver Winslow Park, second mate on the bark TROVATORE.
An Introduction to Working the Bay
Penobscot Bay and River create an economic region defined by water and proximity to the ocean.
An Introduction to The Searsport Captains
Searsport, Maine was famous for its master mariners. Over 500 merchant captains came from this small coastal town in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Nautical Vocabulary Part I
For those new to the maritime world, the terminology can be difficult to understand. Here are some basic nautical vocabulary words plus a game to help practice them!
Ship Portraits
Ship portraits documented individual ships. The vessel was the focus and was always identified by name, flag, or a label at the bottom of the painting.
An Introduction to Marine Art
Marine art shows maritime activities, oceans, the shore, ports, and vessels. It includes paintings and other kinds of artwork: needlework, decorative painting on furniture or other items, and carvings.
Edwin Mitchell, Boy on the IVANHOE
At the age of sixteen, a young man could sign on as a “boy.” (In popular culture today, we often call them “cabin boys.”) Edwin Mitchell, a teenager from Belfast, took one voyage to California and back in 1866-67.
An Introduction to Life at Sea
Thousands of Mainers went to sea in the nineteenth century. By the mid-1800s, Maine sailing vessels were making long voyages into and across the Pacific Ocean.