Mystic Seaport Collections Research Center
by Tom Newman
Originally appeared in the December 2008 edition of Connecticut Libraries
With America’s long history of maritime commerce and adventure, it is not surprising that a research center dedicated to the nation’s relationship with the sea and inland waterways would be of interest to researchers around the world. And it’s not surprising to find this research center at Mystic Seaport, the nation’s premier maritime museum. What is surprising, however, is to find a research center where everything maritime, from manuscripts to fine art, exists together in one location. The Mystic Seaport Collections Research Center is not just a library, or an archive, or a museum, it is all of these things.
Housed in new quarters in a renovated velvet mill, the center boasts a variety of maritime collections, many available for research and study in the center’s reading room. Visitors include students, researchers, genealogists, hobbyists, historians, boat owners, ship builders, and many others. Those who cannot visit in person can find extensive resources online, including catalogs of books, manuscripts and art on the library's website. Online databases list crews, seaman’s protection certificates (similar to a passport for sailors), and yacht registers. In addition to catalogs and databases, the staff has digitized about a half million items from the more popular collections, and this work continues daily. No wonder, then, that the center attracts so much interest from researchers all around the globe.
The Manuscript Collection consists of “ships’ logs and journals, ledgers, diaries and documents from the whaling, fishing and shipping industries, and various business and personal papers of yacht clubs and naval architects.”
Manuscripts, many dating to the 18th century, provide researchers with valuable insights into the experiences of individual men and women at sea. Ships’ logs give a more official glimpse of the day-to-day life of sailors. Of interest to genealogists, historians, and model builders, ships’ registers include information on owners, captains, and the seaworthiness of thousands of ships on the seas in 19th century America.
Many ships’ logs and journals list the race, gender, and ethnicity of sailors, and in recent years, scholars working with these primary research materials have sought information about the ethnicity of sailors, the experience of women at sea, and the early labor activity of sailors.
The Book and Periodical Collection specializes in American maritime history. The G.W. Blunt White Library, with approximately 75,000 volumes, includes 3,000 rare books and 700 periodical titles. Subjects include “ships (passenger ships, merchant marine, ocean liners, Coast Guard, naval and pleasure), immigration, yachting, voyages, women at sea, crew lists, whaling, exploration, and discovery.” Of particular note is a full run of The Rudder, a famous yachting and boating magazine that was first published in the late 19th century.
The Ships’ Plans Collection holds more than 125,000 sheets of plans for ships traveling by wind, steam and gas. There are plans of both existing and historic ships and boats, merchant vessels and private yachts, rowboats and naval vessels. Of particular interest to boat and ship builders and to hobbyists are the plans, correspondence, and design drawings of L. Francis Herreshoff, a famous ship designer and author. The collection is invaluable for the study of shipbuilding architecture, the shipbuilding industry, and the sheer artistry of creating ships and boats.
In addition to its printed and written materials, the center holds extensive non-print collections. Images in the Photography Collection record “more than 150 years of commercial and recreational activity and onboard, shipyard, and waterfront scenes; portraits of shipmasters and other mariners; and Inuit life and culture.”
The Film and Video Collection “covers a broad range of subjects, including storm scenes, boating, ocean passages, yachting, various ports and cities, boat building and restoration, lighthouses, whaling, rowing, Gold Cup races, sail making, ice boating and fishing.” The Sound Archives consists of oral histories and recorded lectures and events on maritime activity.
As noted above, the center is much more than a library or archives; it also houses an Art and Objects Collection, which “includes American marine art, ephemera, nautical instruments, ship models, scrimshaw, industrial fishing gear, furniture, whaling implements and myriad tools from the various maritime trades.”
All these collections, from nautical folk art to the logbooks of the Charles W. Morgan are found under one roof and are made available for study by the staff of the Collections Research Center, who provide research and copy services.
Before visiting Mystic, researchers are advised to look first at the extensive resources available online. Digitized materials can also be found at Connecticut History Online. The Mystic Seaport Collections Research Center is located at 75 Greenmanville Avenue in Mystic, a stone’s throw from the Seaport Museum.