Previous Library News Items

USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection

The Library at The Mariners' Museum has received a generous gift, of 100 letters documenting the construction, financing, and political machinations of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor dating from August 1861 to April 1862. In September 2004, Captain William R. Porter (USN-Ret.) donated the collection to the Library "in recognition of the spirit and legacy of the class of 1947, United States Naval Academy." These letters will join the growing collections of materials on the USS Monitor at the Library at The Mariners' Museum. Other USS Monitor archival holdings at the Library include letters from crewmember George Geer to his wife documenting life on board the ironclad; the papers of Monitor engineer Isaac Newton; the photograph album from John Worden, Captain of the USS Monitor, letters from John Ericsson, and accounts from those who witnessed the battle. In addition, the Library is actively seeking to add to its holdings materials on the CSS Virginia.

The first document of the USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection is a letter dated August 26, 1861. This letter, from Cornelius Bushnell to John Winslow and John Griswold, the three financial backers of the USS Monitor construction project, documents the beginning of conversations that ultimately led the Union Navy's Ironclad Board approving the construction of this revolutionary vessel. There is even a bit of intrigue, as revealed in a letter from W.L. Barnes of Delamater Iron Works to Griswold. The letter, dating from August 1862, notified Griswold, that his bookkeeper has absconded with $5,000, which, at the time, was an exorbitant amount of money. The majority of the documents are notes from various individual contractors to Griswold, the bookkeeper for the project, chronicling not only specific costs for various parts of the vessel, but also the companies involved. These documents reveal significant details in the financial and political aspects of constructing the USS Monitor, adding to the depth and breadth of the story including more detail in the life of two vessels that forever changed naval warfare.

This collection will play a significant role in the exhibition and research areas of the new $30 million USS Monitor Center, currently under construction at The Mariners' Museum. The Center will be the national authority and repository for the recovered artifacts and other materials, research and programming related to the history of the famous USS Monitor. The Center will be comprised of a major exhibition, state-of-the-art conservation facility and a research center.

Massachusetts Shipping Register, 1697-1714

The Library would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our volunteer, Elaine Killam, who has produced a printed guide entitled, Massachusetts Shipping Register, 1697-1714. The register is significant because it contains hard-to-find information arranged by vessel name on merchant ships registered in Boston that operated during the colonial period.

Elaine obtained data for the register from a card file that was created by Joseph A. Goldenberg in preparation for his work, Shipbuilding in Colonial America. Mr. Goldenberg compiled the card file from ship registers microfilm present in the Massachusetts Archives collection. The Massachusetts Shipping Register contains rig, stern and tonnage information, as well as the year each vessel was built and the last known year of registration. The register is available for use within the Library.

Yacht Club and Yacht Racing Donation

In November the Library received a generous donation of yacht club and yacht racing books. Eight-five volumes were added to the collection, spread out among ten titles. Notable is the addition of hard to find items like Cruising Club of Virginia Yearbooks, and the Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association's Red Books, Blue Books and Report of Annual Meetings. The donation also filled gaps in the Library's United States Sailing Directory set, and supplied four missing years of International Yacht Racing Rules.

The Library at The Mariners' Museum holds numerous titles on yachting, sailing, and boating, including every issue of the journal Yachting which began in 1907, and issues of Motor Boating dating back to 1918. Among the Library's archival collections related to yachts and yacht racing is the R.R. Moore Collection: 1880-1960s (MS 205), consisting of a sizable assemblage of plans and photographs. The archives of Skipper magazine are available as well. Skipper and its previous title, The Chesapeake Skipper, were published from 1947 to 1970, providing images, plans, fiction and non-fiction designed to capture the interests of yachtsmen. The Library's photographic collection contains thousands of yacht racing images with photographs of America's Cup races being prominent among them. To view any of these materials in person, feel free to stop by the Library during our normal operating hours or check out the Museum's online Image Collection.

Plans and Drawings Database

Library staff are creating a database of plans and drawings related to historic watercraft and lighthouses. A list of 147 vessels, representing approximately 500 sheets, is now available online. Visit the List of Selected Plans regularly and watch for the latest additions.

Library Processes Papers of Edwin Tappan Adney

In July 2004, Library staff completed processing the Edwin Tappan Adney Papers (MS 020). This collection features the research material of Edwin Tappan Adney (1868-1950) on the history, use, and construction of the bark canoe. Adney is regarded as a principal authority on the origins, development, and demise of bark canoes in North America.

This collection ranges in dates from 1897 to 1949 and includes Adney's manuscripts, notes, correspondence, drawings, photographs, clippings, and templates. The primary areas of focus include materials and tools used; construction and decoration techniques; forms and uses; and bark canoes' functions and significance within Native American culture.

Preservation of and access to the Edwin Tappan Adney Papers were made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This grant funded re-housing and storage to preserve the collection, as well as formal organization of the material and creation of a finding aid to assist researchers.

Chris-Craft Goes on the Road!

Jerry Conrad, the Museum's Chris-Craft Archivist, shared his extensive knowledge during April and July with cruising enthusiasts living outside of Virginia. His lecture entitled, "The Cream of Chris-Craft: Best-Selling Boats 1922 to 1977" provides a snapshot look into the exciting world of Chris-Craft.

Traveling first to Cincinnati, Ohio for the 2004 National Boating History Symposium, held April 16-18th, Jerry spoke to motorboat collectors, maritime historians and nautical illustrators about the Chris-Craft Archives. He was honored with the symposium's annual award for his book, Chris-Craft: the Essential Guide, which is now in its third printing.

In July, Jerry was a guest lecturer at the 15th Annual Pacific Northwest Chris-Craft Rendezvous held in Port Orchard, Washington. Chris-Craft owners attended with boats that dated from 1939 to 2004 and ranged in size from 21 to 60 feet. The event coincided with the 130th anniversary of the Chris-Craft Company, and featured a cruise from Port Orchard to the Canadian Gulf Islands.

Library adds new volumes of Lloyd's List

Researchers looking for early 19th century vessel movements should check out our extended coverage of Lloyd's List. We recently added 30 reels of microfilm covering the period from 1827-1854. During the late 17th century, Edward Lloyd, a Welshman who established a coffee house in London, attracted merchants and ship owners to his establishment by making shipping and commercial information available to them. In 1734, when Thomas Jemson began publishing Lloyd's List, he used Lloyd's name because it had instant recognition in the maritime community and a dedicated audience who would pay for the subscriptions.

Lloyd's List contains currency exchange rates on a number of foreign markets, prices of principal stocks and annuities, and a "Marine List", indicating port of arrival, port of departure, date of arrival, name of vessel and name of master. In addition, the publication reports accidents, mariners' news, vessels "seen" or "spoken with" during the voyage and periodic lists of vessels leaving the London Customs House for foreign ports. Unfortunately, there is no index available so you must search for vessels by date.

In addition to the microfilm collection, the Library owns 43 volumes of Lloyd's List covering 1740 - 1826, with several intervening years missing. This publication provides one of the most complete lists of arrivals and departures of the time period, is an important reference source for 18th and early 19th century maritime travel and these new volumes enhance the most comprehensive collection of ship registers in North America.