Sag Harbor Whaling Museum facts for kids
The Sag Harbor Whaling and Historical Museum tells the story of Sag Harbor, a historic port town in New York. This museum focuses on the town's important role in the American whaling industry. It holds the largest collection of whaling tools and equipment in New York State.
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The Museum Building's History
The building that houses the museum today was built in 1845. A wealthy whaling merchant named Benjamin Huntting II had it constructed when Sag Harbor was a very busy and rich port. The famous architect Minard Lafever designed the house. It is a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture, which was popular at the time. It has a grand front porch with tall, fluted columns.
Unique Whaling Details
The architect added special touches to the house to honor the whaling industry that made Huntting rich. The roofline has decorative shapes that look like flensing knives and blubber spades, which were tools used in whaling. An enormous pair of real whale jawbones frame the front door, making a striking entrance. Inside, a fancy staircase winds up to a domed skylight. Experts call this building "Long Island's finest example of high style Greek revival architecture." It is much larger than most Greek Revival homes of that time.
Later Owners and Museum Opening
In 1907, a kind and wealthy woman named Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage bought the house. She was a philanthropist, meaning she gave a lot of money to good causes. She spent her summers there until she passed away in 1918.
After her death, the building became a Masonic Temple in 1920. The Freemasons are a fraternal organization. In 1945, the Whaling Museum bought the building. The upper floor is still used by the Freemasons for their meetings. The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum has been open to the public since 1945.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum is filled with many interesting items from old whaling ships. You can see old guns, large try pots (used to melt whale blubber), flensing knives, and blubber spades. There are also figureheads, which are carved figures that used to be on the front of ships. A large collection of scrimshaw carvings is also on display. Scrimshaw refers to art etched onto whale ivory or bone by sailors.
The Harpoon Room
In a special area called the Harpoon Room, you can see many different types of harpoons hanging on the walls. These were the tools used to catch whales. You will also find whale vertebrae (bones from a whale's spine) and various shipbuilding tools. The museum also features paintings that show what 19th-century whale hunts looked like. Even though the museum owns the entire building, the Masonic Lodge still uses the upstairs for their meetings.
