Mariners' Museum and Park facts for kids
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The Mariners' Museum main entrance in Newport News, Virginia.
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| Established | 1930 |
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| Location | 100 Museum Drive Newport News, Virginia United States |
| Type | Maritime |
The Mariners' Museum and Park is a super cool place in Newport News, Virginia, USA! It's known as America's National Maritime Museum because Congress said so. This makes it one of the biggest museums about the sea in North America. The museum also has a huge library. It holds the largest collection of maritime history (that's history about ships and the sea) in the Western Hemisphere.
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Discovering the Museum's Past
The museum was started in 1930 by a man named Archer Milton Huntington. His father, Collis P. Huntington, was a famous railroad builder. Collis helped bring the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to Warwick County, Virginia. He also founded the city of Newport News and its big shipbuilding company.
Archer and his wife, Anna, bought a huge piece of land. This land is now home to the museum's galleries, a research library, and a big lake. It also has a five-mile walking trail with 14 bridges. The museum has over 35,000 amazing items from all over the world. For the first two years, they worked on making the park beautiful. They also built a dam to create The Mariners' Lake.
Amazing Sea Artifacts and Art
The museum has about 32,000 items in its collection. Half of these are works of art, and the other half are 3D objects. The collection comes from all over the world. You can see tiny ship models, scrimshaw (art carved into whalebone), and paintings of the sea. There are also decorative arts and carved figureheads (figures from the front of old ships).
You can even see working steam engines! The museum has the only known Kratz-built steam calliope in the world. This is a musical instrument that plays with steam. The museum also has important paintings and drawings by famous marine artists like James Bard and Antonio Jacobsen.
The museum offers fun learning programs for all ages. It has a large library for research and special resources for teachers. The biggest boat in its collection is the Oracle Team USA 17. This yacht won the exciting 2013 America's Cup race!
Highlights from the Collection
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USS Lancaster Eagle, made by John Haley Bellamy
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Scrimshaw panbone from 1857, showing heroes of the American Revolution
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Model of the Steamboat Commonwealth, made around 1864
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Elgin Cutlass pistol
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Detailed model of HMS Royal Sovereign, a Royal Yacht from around 1804
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Gold coin from around 1361–1369, remembering the Battle of Sluys
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County of Edinburgh on the Beach, painted around 1902 by Antonio Jacobsen
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Gloucester Inner Harbor, painted in 1850 by Fitz Henry Lane
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Octant (a navigation tool) made by Joseph Roux around 1780
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Silver-plated mariner's astrolabe (another navigation tool), made in 1645
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Oracle Team USA's AC72, winner of the 2013 America's Cup
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A statue of Leif Erikson by Alexander Stirling Calder
The USS Monitor Center
The Mariners' Museum is home to the USS Monitor Center. The ironclad ship Monitor became famous during the American Civil War. It fought in the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862. The ship's remains were found on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. This spot is now a special national marine sanctuary. It's the only one of its kind made to protect a historical treasure.
Many items from the Monitor have been brought to the museum. These include its turret (the spinning gun tower), propeller, anchor, and engine. Even some personal items of the crew are there. For several years, these pieces were kept in special tanks. This helped to preserve the metal. The USS Monitor Center opened on March 9, 2007. It shows a full-size copy of the ship. You can also see the real turret and many other artifacts. Right now, they are working to restore the ship's engine.
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Propeller from USS Monitor
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Dahlgren gun
Exploring the Park and Noland Trail
The Mariners' Museum Park is a huge, beautiful area. It has 550 acres of natural woods. Visitors can enjoy a peaceful place to walk, run, or have a picnic. Inside the park is The Mariners' Lake, which covers 167 acres.
Following the edge of The Mariners' Lake is the five-mile Noland Trail. The Noland Family gave this trail as a gift in 1991. They also continue to support it financially. The trail has fourteen bridges, picnic spots, and benches. It's easy to access for everyone. Each fall, the museum hosts a 10K run on the Noland Trail.
The Mariners’ Museum Park is open every day for everyone to enjoy. Benches are placed about every half-mile along the trail. You can find amazing views of The Mariners' Lake around every corner.
The famous Lions Bridge is a dam that offers a beautiful view of the James River. It's a perfect spot for families to gather and enjoy the park. The dam's beauty comes from several statues. These were designed by Anna Hyatt Huntington, the wife of the museum's founder. Four stone lions were placed on the dam in October 1932. Anna also created a monument called Conquering the Wild. It overlooks the Lions Bridge, the park, and The Mariners' Lake.
More to Explore
- List of maritime museums in the United States
- National Maritime Museums, a list of maritime museums around the world
- Skirmish at Waters Creek, a battle from the Revolutionary War that happened near the park
- Causey's Mill, a historic mill built in 1866 close to the park
