Discover Massachusetts' captivating maritime history on this captivating tour. Relax on picturesque beaches and indulge in fresh seafood as you visit charming historic towns that will leave an impression.
Begin in Boston, where the Freedom Trail winds along cobblestone streets and historical landmarks tell of pivotal events that helped define America. Feel the echoes of revolution at historic locations such as Boston Tea Party sites or Paul Revere's house.
A rich maritime history
Before Europeans settled Massachusetts, its coasts were home to Native American tribes. Once colonization started in the early 1600s, both indigenous people and later settlers relied heavily on shipping routes for transporting goods across the Atlantic Ocean.
Michigan's maritime history can be found everywhere from its iconic lighthouses and historic fishing villages to whaling towns and the Boston Tea Party. Salem, where the famed Witch Trials occurred, also has deep connections to the sea as does Lake Chargoggagoggchobunagungamaug (America's longest place name).
Massachusetts privateers and merchant ships were instrumental in making America an international trading center during the Revolutionary War, connecting markets worldwide. Today, you can explore Massachusetts' maritime history through numerous maritime museums and attractions in its Bay State.
The Peabody Essex Museum boasts an extraordinary collection of maritime art and history spanning more than 200 years, such as paintings, drawings and prints; ship models; decorative arts for marine use; weapons; tools and navigational instruments.
From Pilgrims to pirates
Before European settlers arrived in Massachusetts, its coast was home to various Native American tribes such as Wampanoag and Nauset. These natives fished along its shores; today many coastal towns continue this important tradition.
The Pilgrims were among the first European settlers to establish permanent settlements along Massachusetts' coastal waters, where their colony eventually flourished thanks to help from Wampanoag tribe members like Squanto and Chief Massasoit. By 1621 they celebrated their inaugural Thanksgiving.
Massachusetts boasts over 750 miles of coastline, providing its inhabitants with access to marine resources from prehistoric times until now. This National Register of Historic Places travel itinerary showcases 89 places which illustrate this interdependence.
These include lighthouses, lifesaving stations and historic shipbuilding sites; as well as essays on fishing, whaling and naval history. Each page provides historic context on their chosen topic while offering links to additional sources of information.
Plimoth Plantation's living history museum can offer visitors a taste of life aboard 17th-century warships. This attraction comprises four major exhibits: Wampanoag Homesite, 1627 English Village, Crafts Center and Mayflower II (which is a replica of its predecessor ship from 17th-century).
Whaling and fishing
For centuries, coastal fishing was one of the region's primary export commodities. Native Americans fished along its waters and European colonists established successful fisheries in towns such as Nantucket, Salem and Gloucester. Basque whalers first took to these waters in the late 1500s harpooning North Atlantic Right Whales for their blubber. Today at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is preserved and interprets America's 19th-century whaling history by including William Brown's home as well as Seamen's Bethel (a house of prayer for prayerful Seamen's Bethel) and Ernestina (an Arctic exploration vessel).
Massachusetts remains dependent on coastal shipping as an integral component of its economy, with Boston being home to numerous container ships, oil tankers, and other large cargo vessels. Boston also serves as a popular cruise destination, giving visitors the chance to see these maritime marvels first-hand on a global adventure!
Massachusetts is an idyllic diving destination. Home to thousands of shipwrecks that have been restored through volunteer efforts, Massachusetts boasts an enticing coastline for recreational diving enthusiasts. This CZM tip outlines the role of Massachusetts' Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources (BUAR), an administratively supported body created by Office of Coastal Zone Management that helps discover, report, preserve, and protect underwater cultural heritage sites across its waters; providing diving regulations and permits necessary for exploring exempted shipwreck sites as well as links leading directly to online databases of shipwreck research projects undertaken by BUAR's research projects database.
Shipbuilding and naval history
In 18th-century Europe, naval vessels weren't just meant for fighting; they also served as symbols of national power and their respective monarchs. Though this doesn't hold true today, naval vessels continue to serve as national symbols that define our coastal landscape.
At Massachusetts Maritime Academy in New Bedford, you can explore early history of ship design and policymaking at Hart Nautical Gallery. This exhibit showcases various nautical objects - ship models spanning ancient to modern time periods; half sections of ships/boats; real anchors; as well as decorative arts/tools from marine-related cultures and companies - along with its vast collections. Open daily year-round.
The museum also showcases New England's maritime history through its many lighthouses. Of particular note is Eastern Point Light, built in 1832 and later painted by Winslow Homer with his distinctive style.
The museum boasts an impressive array of sea art, featuring one of the world's largest collections of maritime paintings. Additionally, there is an exhibition that provides visitors an intriguing view into Massachusetts' maritime past and development over time. This public event can provide you with an interactive opportunity to view this exhibit first-hand.
Maritime museums and attractions
At various museums and attractions across Massachusetts, maritime heritage is honored. Here you'll discover an array of historic exhibitions and carefully curated collections such as boat building workshops, art from the Orient and South Seas, artifacts from legendary shipwrecks, clipper ship models and much more!
Kittery's Seaport Museum displays the various maritime influences that shaped its coastal town, from early settlers living along rocky shorelines to shipbuilding industry and grand hotels of the area. Exhibits at this museum include John Paul Jones' Ranger replica; shipbuilding tools; Bellamy and scrimshaw carvings as well as Fresnel lens from Boon Island Lighthouse Fresnel lens display are on display - it is open June through Columbus Day.
Discover what it was like to sail on a square-rigged whaleboat during the last quarter of the 19th century or experience China when it was considered exotic. Additionally, the Penobscot Marine Museum hosts an 1847 Spermaceti Candle Factory as well as collections of whaling tools, art, and portraits from April through October.
This maritime museum explores Nantucket's rich maritime traditions and history, from whaling to early lifesaving efforts. Permanent and changing exhibitions showcase a diverse selection of objects; Cook Boat Shop allows visitors to witness traditional and modern boat building skills; while warships from warring nations including US Navy vessels as well as PT boats from South Pacific theater are on display here.
Exploring Massachusetts' coast
State beaches offer relaxation, novelty and natural beauty in abundance. There are countless sandy beaches within striking distance of Boston with some offering panoramic skyline views that cannot be beat.
Singing Beach on the North Shore offers something more intimate. This beach got its name because when jostled by waves and currents, its sand creates a distinctive squeak-crumble sound similar to singing when jostled against each other - perhaps caused by shear? While its exact cause remains elusive, scientists suspect this noise to be due to shear.
Massachusetts coastal beaches are constantly shifting and moving due to erosion and accretion processes that create and move sand along their coastlines. To learn more, check out CZM's Shoreline Change Project or Barnstable County Cape Cod Cooperative Extension's Shifting Shorelines websites; these provide more insight.
Beaches' ability to shift and move makes them ideal locations for archeological discoveries, from shipwreck timbers buried at sea or fossilized elephant teeth found fossilized on shorelines. The Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources website outlines what should happen if you find something archaeological on a beach; furthermore, Woods Hole Sea Grant program's Beach Profiling Story Map offers photos and diagrams showing shifts over time on Boston area beaches; this University of Massachusetts Boston website also contains information about Emery Method used for profiling beaches
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