CONFERENCE AT THE ERIE MARITIME MUSEUM Highlights from the CAMM Meeting The Mariners' Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum
Bill Cogar of The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, has been a visionary leader and progressive, sometimes controversial, thinker in the maritime heritage communiry, and the topic of his CAMM presentation was no exception. Cogar discussed the need for museums to embrace the technology that can create a virtual experience for millions of people who will never make it to a museum site, while still working to enhance rhe hands-on learning experiences of people who do. This rwopronged effort, Cogar suggests, is as important to a museum's mission as the care and display of its collections. Cogar, who has worked in leadership positions at some of our most prestigious maritime museums, is a good motivator to influence the maritime heritage communiry to reexamine how and to whom it communicates. Dr. Cogar has served as the Executive Vice President and COO of The Mariners' Museum since 2007, having worked there berween 1998 and 2002 as vice president and chief curator. In November, Dr. Cogar will rake over as museum president and CEO. In the past, he has served as a history professor at the US Naval Academy and as director of the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, as well as Vice President for Collections and Research at Mystic Seaport Museum from 2002 to 2007. Count on him to continue to pursue and influence the innovative approaches maritime institutions rake on making the museum experience more attractive, meaningful, and accessible to traditional visitors and virtual visitors alike.
During the session on ship preservation, Dana Hewson, vice president of Watercraft Preservation and Programs at Mystic Seaport, explained how instrumental the
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' expensive. Like many projects struggli ng in this economy, funds already raised have lost value with the stock marker decline and other anticipated funds are suddenly not
The 184 1 whaling ship Charles W Morgan hauled out at Mystic Seaport. Seaport's new docking lift was in hauling the 340-to n, 11 3-foor Charles W Morgan on the museum's grounds last November. An American icon, the Morgan is the world's last wooden whaling ship. Built in New Bedford , MA, in 1841, she made 37 whaling voyages befo re moving to Mystic Seaport in 194 1. Since then, more than 20 million visitors have crossed her decks, learning about the role whaling played in American history. Today, the Morgan is undergoing a three-year, mulrimilliondollar restoration, renewing areas of the hull below the waterli ne and considerably reducing the amount of hog in her keel. Ir has been more than rwenry years since work beyond the usual maintenance was performed, and the results of hull surveys indicated char a major restoration effort was needed and could no r be put off much longer without seriously jeopardizing the life of the ship. As the last surviving ship of her kind, every derail of the vessel's original fa bric is being meticulously documented in accordance with guidelines set forth by the US Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Vessel Preservation Projects. The ongoing work is thorough, impressive, and conducted by ski lled shipwrights. Ir is
available. More money is needed to allow the restoration crew to continue their work to the full extent char the ship requires and deserves. To learn more about the restoration of the Charles W Morgan and how yo u can help support the project, visit Mystic's web sire www.mysricseaporr.org.
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Sarah Lyman, education director at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, rook us on a "dive" via a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) on one of the 300 shipwrecks at the bottom of Lake C hamplain. ROVs can explore underwater sires, sending images back to archaeologists or tourists who direct its movements from a surface vessel. This is an exciting way to bring history alive and to create distance learning programs. Ms. Lyman is offering to visit yo ur sire and offer consultations and demonstrations. As she said, "One measure ofLCMM's success is if, and how, other co mmunities are able to adapt this program to their needs." A video of the dive is available on line at: http:// lcmm.org/m useum_info /shipwreck_tours. html; Ms. Lyman's contact information is available through the museum web site at www.lcmm.o rg. -Burchenal Green, President
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