Mystic Seaport

The museum was established in 1929 as the Marine Historical Association. One founder was philanthropist Mary Stillman Harkness, daughter of the only surviving child of Mystic shipbuilder Thomas Stillman Greenman. Harkness initially donated land that had belonged to her grandfather; in 1945, she would donate his house to the museum as well. The museum was one of the first living history museums in the United States, with a collection of buildings and craftsmen to show how people lived. ==Grounds and programs==

The Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard is an important part of the museum, where traditional tools and techniques are used to preserve the museum's collection of historic vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan. A replica of the slave ship La Amistad was constructed in the shipyard and launched in 2000. Amistad departed New Haven on June 21, 2007, on a 14,000-mile transatlantic voyage to Great Britain, Lisbon, West Africa, and the Caribbean, marking the Atlantic trade and slave route to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the end of the slave trade in Great Britain. The 19th-century seafaring village contains nearly all the types of general and specialized trades associated with building and operating a sailing fleet. They include a chandlery, sail loft, ropewalk, cooperage, shipping agent's office, printing office, bank, and others. Also included is The Spouter Tavern, which is open seasonally and serving "travelers' fare". Each building is used to show the original activity and also to display examples of what was sold or constructed; the nautical instrument shop, for example, displays sextants, nautical timepieces, and so forth, while demonstrations at the cooperage show how casks were assembled. File:MysticModel.jpg|Scale model of Mystic, Connecticut as it was around 1870 File:MysticSeaportCatboats.JPG|Children learning to sail in JY15s and Dyer Dhows Additional buildings house more exhibits. A 40-foot, scale model of the Mystic River area as it appeared around 1870, complete down to the outhouses that stood behind every residence. Another contains a collection of carved ship figureheads. Also among the museum's buildings is the Treworgy Planetarium which demonstrates how seamen used stars for navigation. Sailing instruction is also offered, as well as tourist rides in various historical small craft that allow views of historic ships at their moorings. Mystic Seaport's music program features sea shanties in their original contexts as work songs. The Seaport supports research via an extensive library. With Williams College, the museum hosts Williams–Mystic, an undergraduate program in maritime studies. Outreach includes sailing and history classes for area children. ==National Historic Landmarks==

Four vessels at Mystic Seaport are recognized by the United States government as National Historic Landmarks: ==Other vessels==

File:Mystic Seaport Light 2008.jpg|Mystic Seaport Light File:I Mystic Seaport, CT, USA (2).jpg|Collection of historic buildings File:Mystic ropewalk.jpg|1824 ropewalk File:Mystic_oyster.jpg|1874 oyster house File:Mystic figureheads.jpg|Carved vessel figureheads ==See also==