Mystic Seaport Museum Awarded $821K In Federal Grants

MYSTIC, CT – Mystic Seaport Museum has announced the receipt of two federal grants totaling $821,000 to support educational programming and the historic watercraft collection, according to a statement.

The Museum’s Center for Experiential Education Maritime Adventure Program will receive $570,000 from a U.S Department of Education fund.

The Maritime Adventure Program is intended to "engage under-resourced youth in experiential maritime and STEM education anchored in positive youth development to enhance their social, emotional, and leadership skills while also developing job skills," according to the statement.

The program serves high school students affiliated with New London Youth Affairs and "aims to bridge Connecticut’s 'opportunity gap' by offering young people from diverse backgrounds the chance to gain skills in marine carpentry, sailing, powerboating, astronomy, and navigation, along with learning about maritime heritage and marine conservation."

A $251,000 grant from the National Park Service Save America’s Treasures Grant Program will support preservation of and access to the museum’s small craft collection.

The watercraft collection at Mystic Seaport Museum began in 1931 with the acquisition of its first vessel, the sandbagger Annie, and over the last 90 years has grown to be the largest watercraft collection in the United States, according to the statement. It includes crafts ranging from rowboats to schooners and ships, rowing craft, canoes, and powered craft.

Museum President and CEO Peter Armstrong said in a statement, “We are pleased to receive this generous funding in recognition of the Museum’s continued effort to preserve historic artifacts while also using the maritime experience to positively impact youth for their future. We are rooted in history, but not stuck in the past, and we recognize our unique position to both protect and influence.”

The Mystic Seaport Museum Center for Experiential Education serves over 10,000 students in 14 districts across the state in afterschool, overnight, and day programs.

The museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in existence. The collection offers an overview of seafaring vessels' development across time and culture.