Artifacts remain in Maryland while repairs continue Ellis Island Immigration Museum, part of Statue of Liberty National Monument, will reopen to the public today for the first time since Hurricane Sandy submerged the island a year ago. Visitors will once again walk the halls of the former federal immigration processing station, which handled more than …
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I love it when my worlds collide in stories like this. The National Park Service announced today that it will protect an 18th-century British warship that sank near present-day Miami, under the terms of an international memorandum signed with the Royal Navy. HMS Fowey, a frigate carrying 20 guns, launched from the British port of …
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Attention maritime history nerds: my new article on the historic relaunch of the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat, is posted at CoastalCommons.net. This story encompasses two spheres near to my heart, whaling history and environmental conservation, and proves that they aren’t mutually exclusive. Though I couldn’t attend the relaunch ceremony at …
Recently I tried my hand at canoeing on the Gowanus Canal as part of my research for a Boating Times article. Having never been face-to-face with a Superfund site, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d heard things about smells. And poop in the water. On a warmish Saturday, Shannon Leigh O’Neil and I ventured …
The National Trust for Historic Places just released its 26th annual Most Endangered Historic Places List, a yearly collection of America’s heritage sites at risk. Some are in coastal areas with ties to America’s nautical heritage, from a Massachusetts lighthouse to a salmon cannery in Alaska, all with fascinating historical import. To wit: Gay Head …
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