New Exhibition is Cornerstone of Battle of Hampton Roads Weekend

For Immediate Release

New Exhibition is Cornerstone of Battle of Hampton Roads Weekend

Newport News, Va. - (March 2011) - The battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack lasted a little over four hours. But the public’s fascination with The Battle of Hampton Roads has lasted for generations.

With the Civil War Sesquicentennial upon us, The Mariners’ Museum’s annual Battle of Hampton Roads Weekend takes on a greater significance. Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 will feature artillery demonstrations, re-enactors and national speakers lecturing under the umbrella of Commerce Raiders and Blockaders. Sunday brings a first-time event–Ironclad Chef–in which two chefs in period costume will prepare Civil War-era fare. For a schedule of weekend activities, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org.

The weekend is highlighted this year with the new exhibition Up Pops the Monitor: The Battle of Hampton Roads in Pop Culture, opening March 4.

Lest The Mariners’ Museum be accused of re-writing history, the first meeting of ironclads, on March 9, 1862, ended in a draw.  And while we could argue which vessel claimed the strategic or tactical victory ad infinitem, one thing is certainly clear: the USS Monitor prevailed in the theater of popular culture.

From 1862 to the present day, the Monitor has “popped up” in the world of advertising, entertainment and consumer goods. This phenomenon is the inspiration behind Up Pops the Monitor: The Battle of Hampton Roads in Pop Culture, the exhibition opening March 3, 2011 in The Mariners’ Museum’s Daily Press Gallery.

American’s fascination with Ericsson’s “cheesebox on a raft” lasted well beyond the life of the Union vessel, which sank off Cape Hatteras on December 31, 1862–just months after her famed battle with the CSS Virginia.

There were Monitor toys, Monitor and Merrimac model kits, a board game named “Ironclads” and even playing cards. There are also cartoons, comic books, trading cards and major home appliances. The ironclads made their way to the silver screen as well as the printed page. The 1936 film Hearts In Bondage is among several versions of the story. Novels include The Monitor Affair, Eben Tyne, Powdermonkey, and That Anvil of Our Souls. The ironclad even inspired poetry, including from Herman Melville, who offered:

“… Needless to dwell; the story’s known.
the ringing of those plates on plates
Still ringeth round the world…”

Had enough? The American public hadn’t.

The exhibition will feature Monitor irons, clocks, windmills and the ubiquitous Monitor-top refrigerator from G.E., circa 1927. The Monitor was also used to sell snake oil: “Small but effective was the little Monitor that met the Merrimac at Hampton Roads,” reads the product’s literature in the 1890’s. “So, too, are Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets, effective in conquering the enemy-disease.” There was Monitor Blend pure rye whiskey, which professed to have “medicinal and tonic virtues.” And the Monitor’s image was featured in an advertisement with Seagram’s Ancient Bottle Gin as an “American Original.”

At your next sing along, try Oh, Give Us a Navy of Iron, or dance to The Monitor Polka. There’s the critically-acclaimed indie-rock CD from 2010, The Monitor, by Brooklyn band Titus Andronicus. And there’s even a one-man band from Connecticut named Monitor and the Merrimac.

Up Pops The Monitor is the first in a series of exhibitions and programs at The Mariners’ Museum commemorating the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. But don’t expect battles and technical details in this show. “This is not your typical Civil War exhibition,” says curator Anna Holloway, who is also the Museum’s Vice President for Collections and Programs. “We decided to take a different tack and feature the Monitor in an entirely new light for most of our visitors. It will be whimsical, fun, and sometimes irreverent. But it will show the great affection that people had, and still have, for ‘our little Monitor.’” 

For more information:
Contact: John Warren
(757) 591-7746
E-mail: pr@MarinersMuseum.org 

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. The museum is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 to 5 P.M. Sunday. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, visit www.MarinersMuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.

The Mariners' Museum and The South Street Seaport Museum of New York City are partners in America's National Maritime Museum, an innovative alliance recognized by an act of Congress in June 1998 to share collections, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and other endeavors.