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The Mariners' Blog

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  • Ben Butler and the Contrabands

    • Black History
    • Civil War
    • Military
    • Military Conflict

    Frank Baker, James Townsend, and Shepard Mallory seeking their freedom, made their way onto Fort Monroe. Butler refused to return the runaways and called them ‘Contraband of War.’ Their decision helped transform the Civil War into a conflict between the states and a struggle for freedom.

  • Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    • Collections
    • Cultural Heritage
    • Exploration

    The museum would like to take this opportunity to share that May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As May draws to a close, please take a moment to reflect on the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to our understanding of the Pacific Ocean, ocean navigation, and maritime knowledge in general.

  • “Taps,” Bugles and Military Memorials

    • Cultural Heritage
    • Military

    Have you ever wondered how the bugle call “Taps” came to be used at memorial services for military personnel? As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, I thought it would be fitting to explore how this practice began.

  • Can I Get a Connection? Laying the Transatlantic Telephone Cable, 1955-1956

    • Photography
    • Technology

    Sixty-five years ago this summer, the laying of the first transatlantic telephone cable was completed. The project was jointly supported by American Telephone & Telegraph Company, the General Post Office of the United Kingdom and the Canadian Overseas Telecommunications Corporation.

  • Battle of Memphis

    • Civil War
    • Military
    • Military Conflict

    The Union needed to open the river to the sea to maintain the commerce of the Midwest. This contest along the ‘father of all rivers’ was a tremendous struggle. Victory would be achieved with new and improved ship designs and industrial superiority.

  • Burnside’s North Carolina Expedition: From New Bern to Beaufort

    • Civil War
    • Military
    • Military Conflict

    Brigadier General Ambrose E. Burnside’s invasion of the North Carolina inland seas was a major success. In seven days, Burnside, with the support of Flag Officer L.M. Goldsborough’s naval forces, had captured Currituck, Albemarle, Roanoke, and Croatan Sounds. This placed Burnside’s army in a position to capture his next objective, New Bern, North Carolina.

  • Beyond The Frame: The Secret Ingredient

    • Art
    • Beyond the Frame
    • Collections

    When you look at Edward William Cooke’s 1856 painting, “Violent Squall on the Adriatic”, it becomes so much more than a painting of a fishing boat, instead it comes to life and plays out like the dramatic climax of a movie.

  • Hidden Histories: The Quest to Put Names to Our Past

    • Black History
    • Collections
    • Hidden Histories

    For a while, the images of the Black men who built our Museum remained anonymous, despite our efforts to try to identify them. All we really had to go on was that they worked here. So that is where we started.

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