NANTUCKET SHIPWRECK & LIFESAVING MUSEUM TO REOPEN JULY 2008

04-15-2008

 

 

Former Nantucket Life-Saving Museum to Showcase Exciting New Exhibits and Family-Friendly Programs in Expanded Space

Nantucket Island, MA (April X, 2008) – Celebrating rescues and heroism at sea, the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum will reopen on July 1, 2008 following an extensive $3 million renovation.  Drawing on its collection of over 5,000 objects – including period surfboats, beach carts, vintage photographs, and more – the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum will feature new exhibits and family-friendly programs appealing to all ages.  Visitors to the newly expanded museum will immediately be engaged by the fascinating stories of people in peril at sea and those who risked their lives to rescue them.

Marshall, a friendly Newfoundland dog who was rescued along with 16 people at the island’s Surfside Life-Saving Station in 1877, will serve as the museum’s mascot.  His real-life tale of animal rescue will unfold through captivating displays designed for younger visitors.

Marshall’s heroic rescue also has inspired a new children’s book that is accompanied by an adorable plush toy, available through the museum’s gift shop.  Retailing for just $6.50, Marshall: A Nantucket Sea Rescue (by Whitney Stewart, published by Soundprints 2008) is destined to become a cherished memento for those who visit the museum.

“Considered a major hub along what was then a modern-day sea highway similar to I-95, Nantucket’s shipping lanes once boasted over 1,200 boats per day – all navigating without the advantages of today’s technology,” said best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick, founding director of the Egan Maritime Institute, which spearheaded fundraising for the museum.  “Treacherous shoals and inclement weather led to over 700 shipwrecks in the surrounding waters, causing the area to be dubbed the ‘graveyard of the Atlantic.’”

 A long-time Nantucket resident, Philbrick is best known for such books as Mayflower, a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in History, and In the Heart of the Sea, winner of the 2000 National Book Award for Non-Fiction.

Formerly known as the Nantucket Life-Saving Museum, the museum is being rechristened to better reflect the impact of shipwrecks on Nantucket and elsewhere in the fledging United States, when maritime travel was in its heyday.  The ambitious renovation project was made possible by an 18-month capital campaign led by Egan Maritime, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study and appreciation of Nantucket’s maritime heritage.

The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum is located at 158 Polpis Road, just 3.5 miles from Nantucket Town. The museum and gift shop will reopen Tuesday, July 1 and close on Columbus Day, Monday, October 13, 2008. Hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children 5 – 18, and free to children under 5, and also includes admission to Egan Maritime Institute exhibits at the historic Coffin School, located at 4 Winter Street in Nantucket Town. For more information prior to the museum’s opening July 1, please call (508) 228-2505; as of July 1, call (508) 228-1885, or visit online at www.nantucketshipwreck.org.

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