Maine Maritime Museum

Mission:

Maine Maritime Museum celebrates Maine's maritime heritage and culture in order to educate the community and a worldwide audience about the important role of Maine in regional and global maritime activities.

The Museum accomplishes its stewardship through: discriminate collection, preservation and dissemination of historic materials and information, engaging educational programs, relevant and compelling exhibitions, and a unique historic shipyard, all connecting the past to contemporary and future issues.

History:

In 1962 seven residents of Bath, Maine formed the Marine Research Society of Bath which did business for years as the Bath Marine Museum.

In 1975, the name was officially changed to Maine Maritime Museum. The Percy & Small Shipyard, the only intact shipyard site in the U.S. which built large wooden sailing vessels, was donated by Mr. and Mrs. L. M. C. Smith in 1975; in 1981 Mrs. Smith also donated the adjoining Donnell House, a shipyard owner's Victorian -era residence.

In 1985 the Museum added the Leon L. Bean Building to house its Maine Lobstering Exhibit. In that same year the long-standing relationship between the Grand Banks Schooner Trust and the Museum was launched, allowing the schooner Sherman Zwicker to be a floating waterfront exhibit during the summer season. In 1989, following a successful capital campaign, the Museum opened its brand new Maritime History Building, just south of the Percy & Small Shipyard, allowing all its facilities to be in one major location for the first time.

1994 the Museum rebuilt the Deering Pier which allows us to welcome larger visiting vessels. We saw the arrival of the remains of the clipper ship Snow Squall in 1995, and with further improvements in 2006, this remains an important aspect of a Museum visit.

In 2001 the Museum added a meeting and dining facility, Long Reach Hall. This beautiful timber frame building is equipped with a full caterer's kitchen. The following year the Visiting Yachtsmen's Building was added to provide amenities for those visiting us by boat. Ten guest moorings are available in season.