Herreshoff Marine Museum facts for kids
| Established | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S. |
The Herreshoff Marine Museum is a special place in Bristol, Rhode Island. It teaches visitors about the history of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. This company was famous for building amazing boats, especially sailing yachts. It also covers the exciting world of yachting and the famous America's Cup boat race.
The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company operated from 1878 to 1945. They built many types of boats, including eight that defended the America's Cup. They also made cool boats powered by steam.
The museum is located right where the old company used to be, close to Narragansett Bay. It has a collection of over sixty boats! These include Clara, built in 1887 by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, and Trivia, owned by Harold Vanderbilt. You can also see Defiant, a yacht from the 1992 America's Cup.
The museum also has a special room called the Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Model Room. It holds more than 500 tiny models of yachts and steam yachts. The Rebecca Chase Herreshoff Library has many books and old papers about the company, the Herreshoff family, and yachting. The museum even hosts talks about boat design and runs a sailing school where you can learn to sail!
History of the Museum
The Herreshoff Marine Museum was started in 1971. It was founded by A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff and Rebecca Chase Herreshoff. Their goal was to make sure everyone remembered the amazing things the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company achieved.
In 1992, the museum created the America's Cup Hall of Fame. This was started by Halsey Chase Herreshoff and Edward duMoulin. The Hall of Fame honors the most important people involved in the America's Cup yacht race.
Famous Boats Built by Herreshoff
The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company built many famous boats. One of them is the sailing yacht Doris. This boat is so important that it is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as a special part of American history.
See also
- Herreshoff family
- List of maritime museums in the United States
- List of museum ships
