Michigan Maritime Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Michigan Maritime Museum

Entranceway to the museum in 2016
Location	260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven, Michigan, United States 49090

The Michigan Maritime Museum is a cool place to visit in South Haven, Michigan. It's a museum and a special library where you can learn all about ships and boats. The museum sits right by the Black River, which flows into Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is one of the five huge Great Lakes! This museum focuses on the history of boats and sailing in Michigan.

What You Can See and Do

The Michigan Maritime Museum has five buildings. These buildings are used to show off old boats, teach visitors, fix up ships, and keep important history safe.

Ride a Historic Ship

One of the most exciting things you can do is take a ride on a ship called the Friends Good Will. This ship is a replica of a "topsail sloop" from the War of 1812. A topsail sloop is a type of sailing ship with a special kind of sail. The original Friends Good Will was used long ago to trade furs in North America. The museum's replica was built in 2004. If you become a member and take a special training course, you can even join the crew and help sail the ship from May to September!

Other Cool Boats

The museum has four other boats that are part of its collection. You can see some of them right outside.

The Wilhelm Baum Tugboat

One of these is the Wilhelm Baum. This tugboat was built in 1923 and has been carefully restored. It was given to the museum in 2016. Tugboats are strong boats used to push or pull other ships.

The Evelyn S. Fishing Tug

Another boat on display is the Evelyn S.. This wooden fishing tug was built in 1939. It is about 50 feet (15 meters) long. Fishing tugs like the Evelyn S. were used by fishermen to catch fish with large nets called gill nets.

Smaller Boats Inside

Inside the museum buildings, you can find several smaller boats. These boats show different types of vessels used on Michigan's waters throughout history.