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Essex Shipbuilding Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Essex Shipbuilding Museum is a cool place in Essex, Massachusetts. It teaches you all about how wooden ships were built there. This museum shows how important Essex was for making ships, especially fishing schooners.

Essex Shipbuilding Museum, Essex MA
Essex Shipbuilding Museum

Discover the Essex Shipbuilding Museum

The Essex Shipbuilding Museum is located in the historic town of Essex, Massachusetts. It's a special place that celebrates the town's amazing history. For hundreds of years, Essex was famous for building strong wooden ships. This museum helps you explore that exciting past.

A Town Built on Ships

Did you know that Essex built more wooden fishing schooners than almost anywhere else in America? From 1668 all the way into the 1900s, this town was a shipbuilding powerhouse. These schooners were fast and strong. They were perfect for fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.

What You'll See Inside

Inside the museum, you'll find lots of interesting things. There are many detailed ship models. You can also see half hulls, which are like half-models of ships. Some of these cool models are on loan from the famous Smithsonian Institution.

The museum also displays old tools that shipbuilders used. You can see photos of the busy shipyards. There are even dioramas, which are 3D models, showing how the shipyards looked long ago. It's like stepping back in time!

The Evelina M. Goulart Schooner

One of the museum's special attractions is the Evelina M. Goulart. This is a real schooner that was built right here in Essex. It was launched in 1927. Seeing a real Essex-built schooner helps you imagine what these amazing ships were like.

Modern Shipbuilding in Essex

Right next to the museum, there's a boatyard owned by the Story Family. This family still builds and launches wooden ships today! They follow the same traditional methods that have been used in Essex for centuries. It's a living piece of history.

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