Custom House Maritime Museum

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A black, white, and light blue header image with the words Custom House Maritime Museum

In mid September 2022, I took a day trip to the Newbury and Newburyport area in Massachusetts, part of the Essex National Heritage Area and North of Boston. My first stop was the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport. The 1834 Neoclassical stone building was designed by architect Robert Mills, who also laid out the plans for the Custom House in New Bedford and multiple famous buildings in Washington, D.C. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971 for its former use as a United States custom house, making it a crucial part of the transatlantic trade system in the mid 19th and early 20th century. The custom house ceased operation in 1911, and the building fell into disrepair until its restoration by the Newburyport Maritime Society from 1972 to 1975. In late 2018, the building was official sold to the Society by the now-dissolved Newburyport Redevelopment Authority.

Federal Custom House plaque; A metal plaque embedded in a stone wall describing the architecture and restoration of the custom house Museum and Museum Shop sign; a plastic sign dsplaying museum hours. Custom House Replacement Cornerstone; engraved with information about the 1976 restoration Historic Bridge Plaque; metal sign commemorating now torn down bridge Outside the Custom House Maritime Museum; a two-story Neoclassical stone building with a red-and-white metal buey on either corner. Custom House Maritime Museum official sign; a deep blue sign with the insignia of the Custom House Maritime Museum, including an icon depicting the facade of the stone building, the name of the museum encircling the icon, the abbreviation NBPT to the left of the icon, and the date 1835 to the right of the icon. Buoy in front of Custom House Maritime Museum; Red-and-white metal structure about ten feet tall with a bell in the center Clipper Heritage Trail marker; a stone embedded in the red brick side walk with the words CLIPPER HERITAGE TRAIL and the outline of a clipper ship Custom House Way marker; a stone pillar about three feet tall with the words CUSTOM HOUSE WAY engraved on one side below an embedded, colorful, glass image of a clipper ship riding the waves in front of a sunrise

Collector of Customs Gallery

In this section of the museum, the guide and signage explained how customs worked in the 19th and early 20th century. The room was filled with many fascinating artifacts, including an enormous whale vertebrae, the original custom house clock built by Howard & Davis of Boston, whose founders Edward Howard and David Potter Davis had apprenticed with Aaron Willard, Jr. of Roxbury; a sign advertising the First & Ocean National Bank, which is now part of TD Ameritrade after several acquisitions; and wooden boxes produced by National Biscuit, now called Nabisco, which doubled as checker boards. Framed on the wall were customs papers, a document freeing the privateer William Nichols, and a comparison between modern American currency and script produced by banks during the 19th century. In the hallway outside the exhibit was an enormous display of sailor knots. When I asked the guide if she knew more about the display, she remarked, “Someone had too much time on their hands.”

Book showing photos of custom houses in New London, CT and Newburyport, RI A whale vertebrae Face of a tall clock; wooden case with three wooden finials and a metal face Original Howard & Davis custom house clock; a white stone clock with the seal of Massachusetts below the face First & Ocean National Bank sign; a green sign with words in a yellow serif font. At the century of the sign is a painting of a clipper ship on the water Massive display of sailor knots National Biscuit company wooden box with checkerboard painted on top. A pair of framed prison release documents for sailor William Nichols A framed American $5 bill and $5 Ocean Bank script currency

Brown Gallery

This gallery displayed tools for early lifeguarding and information about privateering. An oil painting featured the portrait of the privateer “Holy Terror” William Nichols, who claimed to have stolen twenty-eight British ships even though he was frequently captured and held prisoner by the British Navy. Another portrait of privateer Moses Brown II, who is not related to the Quaker and founder of Brown University by the same name, sailed several large ships throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean during a period called the Quasi-War, a series of sea battles fought between the young United States and France from 1798 to 1800.

Portrait of privateer William Nichols; a young white man in his late twenties wearing early 19th century clothing. Portrait of Moses Brown; oil painting of middle aged white man wearing early 19th century clothing Sign for the portrait of privateer William Nichols Sign for the portrait of Moses Brown

Lifesaving equipment included a brass cannon to fire a long rope towards sinking shipwreck victims and special storage device for the rope, which needed to be looped in such a way that it would not become tangled when shot over the ocean. A less exciting rope bucket was storage for the rope until it could be relooped.

Ship steering lever; a metal pole about three feet tall with a round dial and handle on top. Written on both sides of the diall are the words SLOW, HALF, FULL. One side is labeled ASTERN, the other AHEAD. Small statue of a sailor holding his hat standing above a little clock. Display of lifeguarding equipment; a fire bucket, a cannon for shooting rescue rope, and rescue rope threaded onto a storage apperatus

Coast Guard Gallery

Just outside the Coast Guard Gallery is the portrait of Hannah Haskell Pettingell Jones. Her family was maritime mercantile royalty, as her grandfather, John Pettingell, was among the richest traders during the Federal period, or the late 18th century. Her own husband, Captain Oliver Osgood Jones, was also a maritime trader. Jones’ beautiful diamond bracelet has a unique band, as it is made from her husband’s hair.

A diamond bracelet with a band made of human hair. Portrait of Hannah Haskell Pettingell Jones; oil painting of mid 19th century white woman wearing a black dress with white neck ruffles and gold jewelry, plus the hair bracelet Seal of the Coast Guard; a wooden shield with a background of the sea and sky. On the top of the shield are the words EAST and WEST in a yellow, all cap font with a drop shadow. In the center of the shield is a globe with a polar bear standing at the top and an emperor penguin standing on Antarctica. Over the globe is a child face in a cloud blowing wind. Beneath the globe are the words KNOWS NO BARRIERS in a yellow, san-serif font.

As one might expect, the Coast Guard Gallery held a range of Coast Guard memorabilia, from uniforms to medals to a neat insignia showing a map of the world. Members and veterans of the Coast Guard often visit the exhibit, and the custom house plans to collaborate with the future Coast Guard Museum in New London, CT.

Panorama painting of 19th century Newburyport

Moseley Gallery

The guide described this section of the museum as a collection of stuff brought back from trips by sailors that their wives did not want in their houses. The treasures were brought to the Marine Society, a benevolent organization for retired sailors founded in 1752 and closed down in 1906. (A full book on its history can be found on Internet Archive.) Today, the gallery holds a giant clam shell, a pair of carved emu eggs, several model boats, ship figureheads, and a Chinese wedding bench. Among the most interesting stories was about Mary Newton Lunt Graves, an experienced ship navigator who worked with her husband, Alexander Graves, in guiding the Castilian, across the Atlantic Ocean. On one notable occasion, Alexander was too sick to guide the ship during a storm, so Mary took total control of the ship.

Giant, three-foot clam shell Glass case with model ship, two emu eggs, slave shackles, and a dodo skull Chinese marriage bench; a two-seated bench with decorative carvings Model junk, a type of Chinese ship Sign for Mary Graves and the Castillian Portrait of Mary Graves, a black-and-white photograph of a white woman with long, braided hair wearing a mid 19th century dress and seated in an ornately carved chair. Ship figurehead of a woman; dressed in faux Greek clothing with one arm is raised as if carrying a lanturn Model of a clipper ship

Legendary Newburyporters: A Chronicle of Achievements in the 18th & 19th Centuries | Sculptures by Jeffrey Briggs

When I last saw the work of Jeffrey Briggs, it was at the New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, CT, which I visited in June 2022. He created the animals for the Rose Kennedy Greenway Carousel in Boston. Since Briggs has lived in Newburyport since 1973, he thought it fitting to create small sculptures of important figures who also lived in the town. Here is a list of featured people.

At the beginning of the exhibit was Negotiations, portraying three women of different social statuses just before the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. A wealthy woman, based on Newburyport resident and friend of Abigail Adams, Ruth Hooper Dalton, wearing a fancy hat buys flowers from an unnamed poor woman. Ruth’s unnamed and enslaved nanny cares for the only surviving Hooper Dalton child, five-year-old Robert, who would die at age seven.

Sign for Negotiations sculpture Negotiations sculpture; portraying three women of different social classes in late 18th century Newburyport

Edmund March Blunt, a friend of more famous ocean navigator Nathaniel Bowditch, published maps and newspapers related to maritime travel.

Edmund March Blunt sculpture sign Edmund March Blunt sculpture; a man standing behind a wooden lectern and sets type.

Anna Jaques established the first hospital in Newburyport in 1883 at age eighty-three after a $25,000 bond donation to local doctor Francis A. Howe and success merchant William H. Swasey. By the time the hospital was opened, the bond was worth $29,000 and Jaques had passed away. The next hospital, built in 1902, was named in her honor and still operates today as part of Beth Israel Lahey Health.

Anna Jacques sculpture sign Anna Jacques sculpture; an 83-year-old woman wearing late 19th century clothing and seated in a chair

Caleb Cushing was the first mayor of Newburyport as part of his long and successful political career, where he served as a member of Congress, an ambassador to China, member of the Massachusetts legislature, associate justice of the Massachusetts judicial court, United States Attorney General, and a negotiator for building the Panama Canal.

Caleb Cushing sculpture sign Caleb Cushing sculpture; a middle aged man wearing a mid 19th century coat points to a location on a large globe.

William Bartlet was born to a family of Newbury shoemakers and became the sixth wealthiest man in Newburyport thanks to his skill as a maritime merchant, despite French privateers stealing many of his ships during the Quasi-War. American privateer Moses Brown sailed Bartlet’s ship, the Merrimack. The Bartlet Mall, a park in Newburyport, is named for Bartlet’s son, Edmund. Inventor Jacob Perkins created a machine to efficiently produce iron nails, drastically changing construction methods.

William Bartlet sculpture and sign; a bald, middle aged man sits on a Gothic style throne Jacob Perkins sculpture and sign; a late 19th century man stands over a nail making machine, with a vise on one end, a crank on the other end, and a large gear in the middle, all set on a workbench

Reverend George Whitfield, a British Anglican minister who broke with liturgical tradition and sparked the First Great Awakening, gave his last sermon in Essex, NH, then died in Newburyport, and is buried at its Old South Presbyterian Church. Massachusetts Supreme Court justice Theophilus Parsons, who wins this week’s award for best name, shaped American law and mentored many young politicians, including John Quincy Adams.

Reverend George Whitefield sculpture and sign; a mid 18th century man with a long, curl wig wearing preacher robes and raising his hands above his head as he stands behind a lectern with an open Bible on top. Theophilus Parsons sculpture and sign; a man wearing late 18th century clothing stands with most weight on one leg and holds a packet of paper

Conclusion

Custom House Maritime Museum has a phenomenal, up-to-date website with a wealth of information. The building itself is highly accessible, with good lighting, ramp, and elevator. The endearing, knowledgeable, and energetic tour guide significantly improved my experience. Additionally, the museum has a cute gift shop and small online store. My only complaint was that museum staff is not responsive to emails sent to their general address, info@thechmm.org. The museum is open year round except for Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cost is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $0 for Newburyport residents and members of NEMA (like me!). This museum is a must-see for anyone interested in New England maritime history.

Funny looking building across the street from the customs house; the three-story red brick building is divided in half, with a set of two windows on each floor for the left side, and a slightly lower set of three windows on each floor for the right side.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 9/10



Location: 25 Water St, Newburyport, MA 01950, USA