From the visitors’ gallery at Mystic Seaport’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard, guests can get a bird’s-eye view of craftspeople restoring historic ships. The shipyard is famous for its many projects, such as the Charles W. Morgan, Sabino, Amistad and the Mayflower II. But where does it get all that wood?
White pine, Sitka spruce, cedar and oak are just a few of the trees that contribute to a strong, seaworthy ship. Getting the quantities the museum’s shipyard needs can be a costly expenditure.
Fortunately though, through connections with foresters and municipalities on the Eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, the museum has been able to receive donations of old trees that have been blown over by storms or killed by saltwater inundation. In one case the lucky find of a submerged field of naval timbers during excavations for an addition to a South Carolina hospital brought the museum some useful wood.
Mystic Seaport is in Mystic, Connecticut. Admission is $24 for adults and $15 for children ages 6-17. Museum members and children under 6 are admitted free. Learn more about the museum here.
