Sighting a Slave Ship: The Logbook of the ship CORINNE, commanded by John K. Stickney in 1853

Entry for December 31, 1854, while off Pernambuco, Brazil: “At 3pm passed a bark steering about S by W afterwards. Exch[ange] colors.  She proved to be a Buenos Ayrean.  She look rather suspicious, had “windsails” fore and aft.  Am inclined to think she was a “slaver.” 10am saw a vessel ahead standing same way, coming … Continue reading Sighting a Slave Ship: The Logbook of the ship CORINNE, commanded by John K. Stickney in 1853

Searsport’s Blanchards in the West Indies Trade

The Blanchard's of Searsport commissioning of the bark CUBA in 1841 and brig DEMERARA in 1842 give insight into the importance of the West Indian sugar trade for New Englanders at that time. Demerara is a raw cane sugar and a region of Guyana, and Cuba was the port of call for the Blanchard ships. … Continue reading Searsport’s Blanchards in the West Indies Trade

Not finding what you’re looking for

This summer, all four of Penobscot Marine Museum’s remote interns conducted research related to ships participating in the slave trade or early Maine African American residents. The process tended to be challenging and they didn’t always find what they were looking for. High school intern Audrey described her experience looking for African American residents in … Continue reading Not finding what you’re looking for

Researching in Penobscot Marine Museums’s Online Collections Database

To create my presentation about Ebenezer Poulson’s painting of a slaver ship, I used Penobscot Marine Museum’s online collections database.  There are over 500 depictions of ships, 100,000 photographs, and partial information on the extensive maritime history archives in the museum library.  The current level of tagging is not robust and that makes the search … Continue reading Researching in Penobscot Marine Museums’s Online Collections Database

Slaver Brig with Royal Navy Brig in Pursuit

https://youtu.be/oPbPlH87150 Penobscot Marine Museum educator Sarah Cole explores a painting from the museum's collection. Not much is known about "Slaver Brig with Royal Navy Brig in Pursuit" by the British artist Ebenezer Poulson, but the painting speaks loudly on its own and helps to tell a broader story. Originally presented on July 10th on Facebook … Continue reading Slaver Brig with Royal Navy Brig in Pursuit

Taking a Closer Look in the Collections of the Penobscot Marine Museum

The Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM) in Searsport, Maine holds objects, archives, photographs, and library books related to our mission to preserve, interpret and celebrate the maritime culture of the Penobscot Bay Region and beyond through collections, education and community engagement.  A major subject throughout our collection is Maine’s nineteenth century merchant marine: Maine-built coastal schooners … Continue reading Taking a Closer Look in the Collections of the Penobscot Marine Museum