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| Charles W Morgan 1841 |
The star attraction of Mystic is without doubt, Mystic Seaport. This museum encompasses 19 acres of shipbuilding history, much of it in situ back in the 1800’s. Two shipbuilding yards operated on this site; one as early as 1837 and the other 1851. Mystic Seaport has been set up to preserve, collect and exhibit everything nautical that represented a way of life in a small 19th century coastal community.
We started with the lumber yard and sawmill (it’s a family thing) where great chunks of live oak and other timbers are cut and shaped into (big) timber boat skeletons. This area is known as the preservation shipyard and currently, Charles W Morgan (1841), the only surviving whaling ship of its kind, is being restored - to the tune of some $5 million and much patient hand scraping by a couple of young shipwrights. (GS promised never to complain about antifouling again!)
Further on, a small cove was lined with visiting historic schooners, some privately owned and open for inspection. Squeezed in between was Sabino, a vintage steamboat taking visitors on jaunty cruises along Mystic River, just as it would have done in 1908. A graceful oyster boat was docked ready for work at the oyster shack. Oystering is slightly different here in that sea beds are collected by tonging or dredging, whereas we grow ‘em on trays (with a slice of lemon). (sorry!)
The 19th century seafaring village is well stocked with artefacts and, short of lots of sailors, noise and not-so-exciting smells, you can picture how life must have been. Sail lofts, salmon shacks, rope walks, coopers, ships (black) smith and the inevitable tavern are all authentic buildings. We heard music and songs of the sea and shore wafting over the village green, then moved on to hear tales of heroic lighthouse keepers given in a replica lighthouse’s small auditorium – 12 people, standing room only! We boarded tall ship, Joseph Conrad (1882) – now a youth training ship, and admired another, L A Dutton, then rounded off the day with stories of seafaring lives (past & present) and came face-to-face with mysterious figureheads, billetheads and catheads (not actually cats you understand).
We did not however, rush to attend a “Lobstering out of Noank” activity at the lobster shack…. we'd had and seen enough of lobster pots for a while!
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