2008 Bronze Door Proposals

The Miniature Ships of August and Winifred Crabtree - The Virtual Exhibition and E-Book

The Crabtree Collection of Miniature Ships is one of the most popular exhibits in the Museum, and many visitors wish they could somehow "take home" more than their memories of these superb models. In response to this request, a beautifully illustrated onlin exhibition of the collection will be developed. The virtual exhibition will highlight all of the models in the collection and also pay homage to August and Winifred Crabtree and their lifelong passion for maritime history. FUNDED IN 2008

Crabtree Project 2008 update June 2010
The Crabtree exhibition is nearing completion. The site has been installed on the production server and the team is finishing up tweaking the layout. The ship animations, artist history, puzzle game, and ship construction pages are complete. The timeline interactive has been approved and is in the final stages of development. The E-book is undergoing review by the senior administration and will be completed within the next two weeks. Overall, we expect to be able to launch the site within the next four to six weeks.
 

The Mariners' Museum in the Secret Land

On October 31, 1956, Navy Admiral George Dufek and his crew became the first Americans to set foot on the South Pole and the first ever to land there in an airplane. Upon retirement from the Navy, Dufek joined the Museum as President and CEO. Fast-forward to February 2008: Museum conservator Susanne Grieve arrived in Antarctica as the only American in an international crew dedicated to conserving historical sites. Upon her return, an exhibit was mounted to celebrate the Museum's past and present connections with Antarctica. It featured films, lectures, artifact displays, and personal live discussions with Antarctica travelers. FUNDED IN 2008. 

Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation Online Exhibition

The Museum is home to an expansive and unique collection of photographs of Hampton Roads' role as a major Port of Embarkation during World War II. During this pivotal time in America's history, the entire nation was engaged in a struggle against foreign tyranny and global totalitarianism. Over half of the materiel and soldiers bound for the conflict in Europe and Africa departed through Hampton Roads. It was proposed that the photographs be used to mount the Museum's first-ever on-line exhibit, to highlight the collection and also give voice to an often overlooked role of the African-American community in that conflict. For further information about this potential exhibit, contact Tom Moore at 757-591-7755 or at TMoore@MarinersMuseum.org.

Propeller Conservation

The Museum's collection includes a unique cycloidal propeller that powered the Hampton Roads ferry Northampton for many years. It has been outside at the Museum since 1955 and is badly in need of conservation and to prepare it for exhibition. The proposed project included the purchase of a special piece of cleaning equipment that is both effective and efficient, yet "friendly" to delicate objects such as the cycloidal propeller as well as the environment. For further information about the proposed equipment, and the exhibit of the cycloidal propeller, contact Marcie Renner at 757-591-7776 or MRenner@MarinersMuseum.org.

Timby's Battery Orient Print

John Ericsson gets the credit for creating the USS Monitor, the first warship in the US Navy constructed of iron and the first with a unique revolving gun turret—but Ericsson did not actually invent the turret. That recognition should go to Theodore Ruggles Timby of New York, but Timby never received appropriate recognition for his invention during his lifetime. The Museum proposed to purchase a rare lithograph, by Endicott & Company, that shows one of Timby's creations, the six-gun floating battery Orient, equipped with a revolving gun turret in 1865! If you would like to help acquire this wonderful addition to the Museum's Ironclad Revolution exhibition, contact Anna Holloway at 757-591-7740 or AHolloway@MarinersMuseum.org.