Biography
The Mariners' Museum, one of the largest and most comprehensive maritime history museums in the world, houses a treasure trove of more than 35,000 items inspired by human experiences with the sea. For 69 years, The Mariners' Museum has illustrated the spirit of seafaring adventure, assembling a renowned and strikingly diverse collection of maritime artifacts -- figureheads, scrimshaw, hand-crafted ship models, decorative arts, prints, paintings, and small craft from around the world. The Museum's permanent galleries display treasures like the anchor from the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, Captain John Smith's map of the Chesapeake Bay, and the polar bear figurehead from the vessel of Admiral Richard Byrd on his Antarctic expedition in the 1930's. Centuries of maritime history are represented in the Museum's collection, which reflects the human use of the sea for transportation, food, battle and pleasure. The Mariners' Museum is an educational, non-profit institute accredited by the American Association of Museums. The Museum is open from 10 AM until 5 PM daily. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606. The Museum can be reached on the worldwide web at www.mariner.org.
