Jacksonville Maritime Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1985 by Fred Sandberg, David Swan, Robert Parrish, and Monica Anguili |
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| Dissolved | 31 Dec 2015 |
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Type | Non-Profit |
| Visitors | 9,856 (2014) |
| Public transit access | Bus: P3, SS35, WS2, Riverside Trolly Monorail: Central Station Northbank Line
Southbank Line
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The Jacksonville Maritime Museum (JMM) was a special place that shared the exciting history of the sea in Jacksonville, Florida. It was also known as the Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center. The museum showed how the city and the nearby First Coast were connected to the St. Johns River and the huge Atlantic Ocean.
Inside, you could see amazing large models of ships, from the famous Mayflower to modern vessels. There were also old paintings, photographs, and artifacts. Some of these items dated all the way back to 1562, telling stories from a long time ago.
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Exploring Maritime History
The Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center started as the Jacksonville Maritime Museum in 1987. It was run by a group called the Jacksonville Maritime Museum Society, Inc.. This group was a non-profit organization, meaning it didn't aim to make money.
Their main goal was to teach people about the important role of ships and trade in the local area. They also wanted to show all the different parts of the maritime world.
A Museum on the Move
For seven years, starting in 1990, the Jacksonville Landing helped the museum. They let the museum use empty shops to show off their big model ships. But this meant the museum had to move five times as new stores opened.
In November 1997, the museum had to leave its space quickly. There were no more empty shops for them to use. Many of their exhibits were then put into storage or loaned out to other places.
From 1993, the museum had a main building on the South bank of the Jacksonville Riverwalk. It was a 1500 square foot pavilion near Friendship Fountain. The museum stayed there for almost 18 years.
In January 2011, the museum moved back to the Jacksonville Landing. This new spot was on the ground floor and had more room for displays. Ship models that had been loaned out were brought back. The new space even had a fun, interactive area for kids and a theater that could seat 60 people.
Why the Museum Closed
In August 2015, the museum's board of directors made a tough decision. They voted to close the museum at the end of that year. The museum did not get any money from the city government.
The money they received from memberships and donations was not enough. It couldn't cover the $45,000 needed to run the museum each year. The museum was run by volunteers, who worked hard to keep it going.
Amazing Collections and Exhibits
The museum had hundreds of interesting artifacts. It featured permanent exhibits about the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. There was also an exhibit on Napoleon B. Broward’s Three Friends Tugboat.
Other popular exhibits included displays about St. Johns Riverboats and Shipbuilding in Jacksonville. A very popular exhibit was a diorama of the famous RMS Titanic ship.
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One of the biggest models ever shown at the museum was of the World War II U. S. Navy heavy cruiser, USS Louisville. This model was 18 feet (about 5.5 meters) long! It was first loaned to Jacksonville by its builder, Ray Arthur. Later, it was given to the Frazier Museum when the Jacksonville museum no longer needed it.
