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What's Up at the Custom House - March 5, 2017
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What makes for a perfect week?
4
things this week gave us the sense that we're doing quite okay.
.
1.) ~ community participation -- we serve a diverse public: Third graders visited on Tuesday, a
special-needs class came by on Saturday,
Jibboomers were at work all week on the 'whale boat' float-- these in addition to our usual tours.
2.) ~ donations to the collection -- NLMS received three wonderful gifts:
at top - on Wednesday, NL Police Officer Coe delivered an elegant half-hull model of the Storken on behalf of William Fowler Hoff, of Tennessee.
Mr Hoff had tried to leave the model off-hours, when the museum wasn't open. He then thought to ask at the
police
station if they would make the delivery for him - and they did!
Storken is Swedish for 'stork' -- and that may be a bird painted up by the forepeak. Mr Hoff writes, Besides the name I think the best clue to a northern artist is the color of the sea and the leaden sky. Not the tropical waters that I worked around in Honduras.
On Tuesday, the Lawlers appeared with the gift of a U.S. Navy Sword Knot. On a tour they'd spied the swords up in our library and decided they needed a little decoration. Mr. Lawler commented that the slightly frayed knot would fit in well with our overall sensibility.
Yes, we are
slightly frayed
, as well as totally
authentic
, and we're committed to preserving New London's treasures!
A third donation came via email from
a National Geographic exhibition designer in
Frederick Maryland, who had discovered a box of glass plate negatives when restoring an old house. He identified two images as New London Harbor Light, ca. 1900, and donated them to the Custom House. Other plates -- a few of which are shown later in this email -- appear to chronicle outings of a local cycling club.
Below, the view south along Pequot Avenue of the Casino and Harbor Light.
3.) ~ preserving of our properties. After close to a year, our three coal-doors were finally installed at the front of the custom house this week. (The doors are the sidewalk-level black panels, left.)
Installation of the doors completes the projects funded by a recent Palmer Fund continuing-restoration grant.
The grant also paid to refinish the museum's front doors and replace four windows on the museum's lower level.
4.) ~ working well with others.
Throughout February, we
partnered with the New London County Historical Society to bring NL's 300 third-graders to visit both the Shaw Mansion and the Custom House.
Just last week
, Steve Manuel and Kayla Correll, right, discovered a lottery ticket in the NLCHS archive -- an original Connecticut Colony 1761 ticket for the construction of New London Harbor Lighthouse!
They're going to
loan it to us.
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Start planning for next Sunday - sign up today!
Keepers in Skirts: Women in the Lighthouse Service
with Elinor De Wire
Sunday, March 12, at 3 PM - after the St. Patrick's Day Parade
Join lighthouse author and historian, Elinor De Wire, for a look back at women's roles in lighthouse keeping, from Hannah Thomas, who kept Plymouth Lighthouse, Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War, to the Coast Guard's twentieth century lady lightkeepers in Maine and Washington.
$12, $10 NLMS members, $6 youth ages 10-18
Sign up today: 860-447-2501.
Why not spend the afternoon downtown: Come for the Parade at 1, catch lunch, then visit the Custom House at 3 PM to hear Elinor DeWire.
Left, Miss Ida Lewis, the heroine of Newport, Harper's Weekly July 1869, NLMS collection.
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Jibboom Club #1 meetings resume on Tuesday, March 21, at 1 PM.
Join Rob & Russ for a speaker's program, coffee and conversation.
Frank Bohlen will speak on the history of weather predicton.
Byron Huart,
left, will give an artist's tour of his exhibition
City of Ships.
Watch this weekly blast for details.
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Our new friend in Frederick. Maryland, is interested in selling his box of glass plate negatives, which appear to be of local scenes & people, ca. 1900. Please
email
nlmaritimedirector@gmail.com to be connected.
Below, four more images from the collection.
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Make History
You can rent the Custom House
With our impressive architecture, tented courtyard and downtown waterside location, we are a venue unlike any other in New London.
Offering a number of adaptable spaces and nearby parking, the Custom House Maritime Museum provides the ideal setting for any corporate event or private occasion.
To get more information on renting a space within the Museum, please contact Susan, who will be more than happy to discuss your ideas:
860-447-2501.
We can provide catering & logistics help, too.
NB: per the fire marshall, our total capacity is 49.
Spaces for hire include the intimate Jibboom Room, large Crawford Gallery, or outdoor Tented Courtyard.
The event was an employee orientation and "get to know the boss" session for the Connecticut employees of Salient Federal Solutions of Fairfax, Virginia. Salient Federal Solutions is a worldwide company supporting government agencies in the areas of systems engineering, information technology, and intelligence. The President/CEO Brad Antle said the maritime museum was a "...perfect venue for our orientation".
David Lersch, Sailent Solutions
Rental Information
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Plum Island
paintings by John Sargent
are now on view at the Custom House through March 31, 2017.
Ask to watch the new CPB video about Plum Island, playing in the gallery.
SAVE THE DATE: on Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m., artist John Sargent will talk about his work and Chris Cryder, of Save the Sound, will speak about legal issues related to the possible sale of Plum Island -- at the Custom House.
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KEEP UP WITH WHAT'S UP
Clink on underlined words - hot links - to learn more
No matter how the wind howls or the sea lashes, we see clear sailing ahead for our work preserving & promoting New London's maritime heritage.
Click here to make a donation to
(Please click on the 'Donate' icon to give on our museum home page.)
We w
ork
every
day to preserve our maritime stories.We strive to make learning enjoyable, even fun! And we aspire to have a positive effect on the entire community, for this generation & beyond. We cannot do it without you!
Cust
om House Maritime Museum
is on Facebook. 'Like' us to keep up with
our events, & school visits, as
well as with news of interest about museums and exhibitions worldwide. This week watch videos of students learning about fog horns.
Facebook New London Maritime Society to learn about issues related to our mission of preservation
& conservation. We also post community news and
conservation / preservation articles.
Yes,
maybe, for the first time, we planted the pansies a little too early! Right now they're hiding out in the front vestibule awaiting warmer temperatures...
Facebook New London Harbor Light reports the latest on NL Harbor 'Pequot' Light and about American lighthouse preservation activities.
Go to facebook
Long Island Sound Lighthouses Gateway to learn more about lighthouse happenings in the region. The next
LIS Lighthouse Conference take place in New London
April 24-25.
Find your lighthouse is a facebook page for world-wide lighthouse events & news.
see what's new.
The MUSEUM SHOP is open Thursday through Sunday, between 1 and 5 PM, or by appointment.
Tokyo Milk octopus bubble bath will be available in the shop by next Thursday, right.
Facebook
Race Rock Lighthouse
posts news concerning Race Rock Light and international lighthouse tourism and preservation efforts.
Facebook Sentinels on the Sound gives advance notice of our Summer activities -- and we've already got plans!
Facebook
Lighthouse Inn New London
to keep up with Mr. Christie's developments towards reopening the Inn. We'll be working together to create an exhibition about the Inn and Meadow Court this summer. Have you an image to contribute?
Spring is just two weeks away!
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