Summer Folk: The Tourists of Penobscot Bay explores the history of the region's tourism industry.

Marine Museum Readies for Season of Tourists, Battles

5/15/2012 - The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport will open for the 2012 season on May 25 with two new exhibits featuring regional tourism and marine art. "Summer Folk: The Tourists of Penobscot Bay" is a campus-wide exhibit exploring the history of tourism from 1890 to 1960. And to commemorate of the… SEE MORE
On the ways at Mathews Brothers yard in 1918.

Meet the Pinnacle of Belfast Shipbuilding

4/20/2012 - The Jennie Flood Kreger was the largest sailing vessel ever built in the midcoast Maine town of Belfast. At 243' and 1838 tons, and with her five masts, she was one of the largest vessels built in the state in 1918. She was 42' in beam and 19.5' in depth.… SEE MORE
Charles Coombs photographed the Morrill Sunday School visiting his cottage "Ten Oaks," on Tilden Pond in Belmont, in August 1917

New Images Added to Historic Photo Collection

4/15/2012 - Penobscot Marine Museum has added 18 glass-plate negatives to the Charles R. Coombs photography collection, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Frank Coombs of Belfast. The negatives, in large 8.5"x7" and 8"x10" formats, primarily depict Belfast and Belmont scenes. Charles R. Coombs (1862-1940) was a furniture dealer, undertaker, taxidermist, and… SEE MORE
Harbor with the WILLIAM BISBEE tied up at the wharf.

Swans Island In Quieter Days

4/12/2012 - These photographs were all selected from the Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company collection. The company's photographers captured images for postcard production and sought scenes depicting life in New England's small towns and villages. Swans Island has always been a fishing community (it's presently the homeport to about forty full-time fishermen).… SEE MORE
Bill of Rights under sail, June 16, 1971.

The Bill of Rights: Her First Voyage

4/4/2012 - Bill of Rights is a partial replica of an 1856 gaff topsail schooner which, with a secret hold, was used as a contraband runner along the East Coast. The Bill of Rights was built in 1971 for Joseph M. Davis Jr., of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, by the Harvey F. Gamage… SEE MORE
Shipwright Harold Burnham, shown here, will discuss the construction of his pinky schooner Ardelle on March 31.

Shipwright to Speak on Pinky Schooner Building Project

3/8/2012 - Harold Burnham, a 14th-generation shipwright from Essex, Massachusetts, will discuss the construction of the pinky schooner Ardelle in a talk at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine. Burnham's presentation will be illustrated with photographs by Dan Tobyne, author and photographer of Thoreau's Maine Woods, published by Down East Books.… SEE MORE
The ACT I gliding down the ways, February 1974.

Working Ships from Maine to New Bedford and New York

2/24/2012 - Midcoast Maine is (or was) home to all three yards responsible for the vessels in this collection of historic images, all part of the Penobscot Marine Museum's collections. ACT I was built at Harvey F. Gamage in South Bristol; that yard closed in 1981. Washburn & Doughty moved its operation… SEE MORE
A six-man drill crew with surf boat.

The Bygone Days of the Wellfleet Life Saving Station

1/25/2012 - This series of photographs was taken at the former U.S. Lifesaving Service station at Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The personnel manning these stations, which were located at many sites but primarily along the eastern seaboard, were sometimes referred to as “storm warriors.” Their careers sprang from an earlier volunteer effort organized by… SEE MORE
Penobscot Marine Museum has extended its winter exhibit through the end of February. Photo courtesy of Penobscot Marine Museum.

Circus Exhibit to Stay in Searsport an Extra Month

1/13/2012 - The Penobscot Marine Museum has extended "The Circus Comes to Town" for another month. The free exhibit of circus models, art, photography and memorabilia will be open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through February 26. The heart of the exhibit is the Bex Bros. Circus,… SEE MORE