AROUND THE CABIN LAMP
A New Morning In South Street
S
up porters of the lately renamed Seaport Museum New York awoke to a grim reality on 19 February this year, when Thousands of mornings have The New York Times announced: "Finances dawned on the pink brick buildings Could Sink Seaport Museum." The diminofSchermerhorn Row, where tall ished ranks of those interested in the affairs packet ships and clippers bound for of the once-renowned museum could rhen far horizons passed by their windows. read for rhe first rime how it had borrowed Here in 1976, the masts ofthe four$2 million, advanced by museum chair Frank masted barque Peking tower over their Sciame, to meet operating expenses. This and rooftops, while the quadrant ofthe other pending debts cannot be repaid from museum's bookstore invites visitors to non-existent funds, and, as an emergency explore the far horizons ofthe seafaring measure to meet this crisis, 32 staff members story that built these noble buildings. (half rhe total staff) were laid off with a shutThe shop was later closed to make way down of most museum services. for a women's lingerie store. This "Cabin Lamp," however, is nor about rhe crisis bur about steps toward recovery in a museum rededicated to its founding principles. This quest takes us back to ideas worked our, as it happens, around rhe very cabin lamp shown at the head of this page. Karl Kortum, who found the Wavertree in The Times story did nor comment on the Argentina in 1966, stands at the helm during recent years in which the lively public engagePrince Philip's visit to support our NMHS ment rhar characterized rhe early Seaport had campaign for the great ship's restoration. The died off. Irs own files would have shown Times author (left) hears Philip's adjuration that editorials saluting the citywide importance using wooden spars instead of metal replicas of the Seaport's victory in rhe first contested 'Just stores up trouble for fature generations!" landmarks case in rhe city as well as reports I said the "trouble" would keep those seamen's of enchanted summer evenings of music on skills alive-a primary goal of our endeavor. Pier 16. The article also reported rhar "The museum has always been small"-this of a maritime museum whose membership ar Pete Seeger, fresh from the sloop Clearwater's maiden voyage to New one point had grown to 25,000, rhe largest in America! Thar public participation led York in 1979, sings on Pier 16 to a museum income in 1973 of nearly $2 at the museum in support oftheir million (the equivalent of$ l 0 million today) work and ours. In the background and a range of activities-publishing books, is the Argentine square-rigged training ship Libertad, another holding monthly seminars, assembling a collection of seven historic ships and opening welcome visitor. What help these good and generous friends gave us! seven successful museum shops. We were engaging people directly in rhe story of the rail ships rhar built a city from the sea. With Jakob Isbrandtsen as chairman, I Here the lovely fall-rigger Danmark served as president with my wife Norma as is docked at the Seaport's pier in manager in this halcyon time. Bur corporate 1974 as part ofthat summer's trainleaders on the museum's board, seeing the ing voyage for Danish cadets. Each museum's valuable city leasebacks on three ship has its own story to tell and the blocks ofland Jakob had donated to rhe city Danmark' s is a moving one. When and four East River piers, decided to put their Germany invaded Denmark in World own CEO in charge. This led to the museum ~r II, the ship was away in Florida giving up its role as urban renewal developer on a training cruise. Her officers and and to the sale of its leases to a mall developer. cadets kept the ship in the US and By then Norma and I had resigned, going on stayed to help train US sailors. They to work with friends to build up the National did not return home until the war Maritime Historical Society, which had been ended five years later.
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SEA HISTORY 136, AUTUMN 2011