San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Historic ships docked at Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Location in San Francisco Show map of San Francisco San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Location in California Show map of California San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	San Francisco, California, United States
Area	50 acres (20 ha)
Established	June 27, 1988 (1988-June-27)
Visitors	4,224,897 (in 2011)
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Official name: Aquatic Park Historic District
Designated:	January 26, 1984
Reference #:	84001183
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Official name: San Francisco Maritime National Historic Site
Designated:	June 27, 1988
Reference #:	01000281

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is a cool place in San Francisco, California, USA. It's like a living museum that celebrates the city's rich history with the sea. Here, you can explore a fleet of old ships, visit a fun visitor center, check out a maritime museum, and even find a special library for research.

This park used to be called the San Francisco Maritime Museum. But in 1978, the National Park Service took over its amazing collections. Then, in 1988, it officially became the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park we know today. The park also includes the Aquatic Park Historic District. This area is bordered by Van Ness Avenue, Polk Street, and Hyde Street.

Explore the Historic Ship Fleet

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park has a fantastic collection of old ships. These historic vessels are docked at the park's Hyde Street Pier. It's like stepping back in time to see how people traveled and worked on the water long ago!

Here are some of the main ships you can see:

• Balclutha: This is a large sailing ship built in 1886. It has square sails.
• C.A. Thayer: A schooner built in 1895. Schooners have sails that run along the length of the ship.
• Eureka: This is a steam-powered ferryboat from 1890. It used to carry people and vehicles across the bay.
• Alma: An 1891 scow schooner. Scows are flat-bottomed boats, great for shallow waters.
• Hercules: A powerful steam tugboat built in 1907. Tugboats push or pull other ships.
• Eppleton Hall: This is a unique paddlewheel tug from 1914. It uses large wheels with paddles to move through the water.

The park also has more than one hundred smaller boats and crafts.

Visit the Park's Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is located in an old waterfront warehouse built in 1909. You can find it at the corner of Hyde and Jefferson streets. This four-story brick building is a historic landmark.

Inside the Visitor Center, you'll find cool exhibits. These exhibits tell the exciting story of San Francisco's maritime past. You can see a huge Fresnel lens from a lighthouse. There's also a shipwrecked boat! The center has a theater and a helpful ranger desk. Park rangers are there to answer your questions.

Discover the Maritime Museum

Aquatic Park Bathhouse

The maritime museum is in a special building called the Aquatic Park Bathhouse. This building has a cool design called Streamline Moderne. It's a National Historic Landmark at the end of Polk Street. It's just a short walk from the Visitor Center and Hyde Street Pier.

The building was first built in 1936 by the WPA (Works Progress Administration). It was originally a public bathhouse. Inside, you'll see amazing and colorful murals. These were created mainly by an artist named Hilaire Hiler.

Explore the Maritime Research Center

The Maritime Research Center is a top place for learning about San Francisco's and the Pacific Coast's sea history. It started in 1939. Now, it has the largest collection of maritime items on the West Coast. It's also the biggest museum and research collection in the National Park Service!

The collections include:

• Over 74,000 books and other published items.
• More than 500,000 photographs.
• Over 7,000 collections of old papers and documents.
• 150,000 drawings of ship designs.
• 3,000 maps and charts.
• 150,000 feet of old movies and videos.
• 6,000 artifacts from historical digs.
• 2,500 pieces of art.
• 40,000 historical objects.
• 100 small boats.
• 50,000 pieces of small, printed items like tickets.
• 600 recorded interviews and audio recordings.

Getting to the Park

The Visitor Center, Hyde Street Pier, and Maritime Museum are all close together. They are near the end of Hyde Street, at the western part of the Fisherman's Wharf area.

The park's main office and the Maritime Research Center are in Fort Mason. This is about a 10-minute walk west of the other sites. You can get to the main park site by San Francisco cable car system. The Beach and Hyde Street cable car stop is right next to it. The F Market historic streetcar line also has a stop nearby.

You can find out about opening times and fees on the park's website. Look for the 'External links' section.

Swimming at Aquatic Park

Aquatic Park is a very popular spot for open water swimming. People swim here for fun and for training. Two famous swimming clubs, the South End Rowing Club and the Dolphin Club, are located in Aquatic Park. Sometimes, swimmers have had encounters with sea lions here.

From left to right: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, Downtown San Francisco, Russian Hill and Aquatic Park Historic District.

Images for kids

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  Scow schooner Alma
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  Steam tug Hercules
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  Square rig sailing ship Balclutha
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  Paddlewheel tug Eppleton Hall
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  Steam ferryboat Eureka
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  Lumber schooner C.A. Thayer