CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM 2010 -2011 Annual Report Inspire Educate Preserve BELONG Mission MESSAGE FROM THE The mission of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is to inspire an understanding of and appreciation for the rich maritime heritage of the Chesapeake Bay and its PRESIDENT & CHAIRMEN tidal reaches, together with the artifacts, cultures, and connections between this place and its people. The front cover of this annual report is fitting, as the Museum’s 2010-2011 fiscal year was truly a cause for celebration. Just one year into the implementation of our new Vision five-year plan and the Museum has hit the ground running. The vision of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is to be the premier Attendance and membership levels first stabilized and then began what looks to be the start of a steady rise—proof that membership and marketing initiatives are bearing fruit. maritime museum for studying, exhibiting, preserving, and celebrating We are over 5,000 members strong and growing almost every month. Your gifts to the the important history and culture of the largest estuary in the 2010-2011 Annual Fund set an all-time record for the second consecutive year in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay. Museum’s 46-year history, a reflection of how important this institution is to people like you. • We will be acknowledged as the leading center for education, Our Museum is fortunate to have membership dues and admissions receipts cover a Langley R. Shook exhibition, and preservation of Chesapeake Bay maritime cultures. higher percentage of our expenses than most of our peers, yet, combined, these two President • We will inspire cultural stewardship by preserving, documenting, revenue streams support barely a third of the Museum’s annual operating budget. With and sharing stories, artifacts, skills, and the traditions of the government grants virtually non-existent in this economy, charitable gifts from our generations of people who have lived and worked in the more than 1,000 generous donors are the mainstay supporting the Museum’s mission, Chesapeake Bay region. and this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. • We will emphasize how the connections between people Between May 2010 and April 2011, our year was marked by new events, new projects, and the Bay’s natural environment have shaped unique, new people, and expanded programs, all of which contribute to a powerful sense of traditional cultures. revitalization. The Museum welcomed four new exhibits this year, and expanded an • We will provide opportunities for visitors to make existing one. Illuminating the Sea, the Paintings of James E. Buttersworth; Marc Castelli, connections between past human activities, present The Art of the Waterman, The Simison Collection; and Decoys of Dorchester County all conditions, and future possibilities. opened to glowing public reception. A Rising Tide in the Heart of the Chesapeake was expanded to include new stories of watermen and their families from Smith Island. Our restored pre-Civil War Mitchell House—which belonged to Frederick Douglass’s sister, and its 19th century lifestyle exhibit inside—opened on the Museum’s first Frederick Douglass Day in October. This festival and two other new events, Watermen’s Joseph E. Peters Appreciation Day and the St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance, appealed to diverse audiences Chairman, 2010-2011 and brought many new visitors to our campus. The Museum expanded its partnerships with other non-profits to present Sharpshooters of the Chesapeake at the 40th Annual Waterfowl Festival and to welcome several visiting vessels to our docks such as the Maryland Dove. The boatyard buzzed with activity, as restoration of the legendary skipjack Rosie Parks began in full swing, and other repairs to our floating fleet were made on a regular basis—all conducted in public view. Called by some “the queen of the fleet,” the Museum’s 1889 nine-log bugeye Edna E. Lockwood has undergone extensive repair and restoration (read more about this on page 7). For decades in the mid-twentieth century, the steam-powered screw tug Huntington was the venerable flagship of Newport News Shipbuilding Company. Huntington’s pilot house and captain’s quarters, complete with furnishings and fittings, were rescued intact from a scrap yard in Florida and they’ve found a new home at our Museum. With Huntington’s restoration, the Museum plans a special exhibit on Chesapeake tugs and CG Appleby marine transportation to open next summer in conjunction with the 100th anniversary Chairman, 2011-2012 of the launch of the Museum’s tug Delaware. 1 CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011 2 2010-2011 PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMEN’S MESSAGE CONTINUED 2011-2012 BOARD OF GOVERNORS BOARD OF GOVERNORS Joseph E. Peters, Chair CG Appleby, Chair CG Appleby, Vice Chair Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our tireless volunteers, the Museum is now home Alan R. Griffith, Vice Chair Alan R. Griffith, Vice Chair to an extensive Heirloom Garden featuring rare, unique, and historically accurate plants and Joseph E. Peters, Vice Chair Tom D. Seip, Treasurer herbs to reflect the kitchen and medicinal gardens cultivated by Chesapeake people of the 17th, Tom D. Seip, Treasurer Mark S. Nestlehutt, Secretary Mark S. Nestlehutt, Secretary 18th, and 19th centuries. We brought back the Museum’s quarterly publication, aptly named Bruce P. Bedford The Chesapeake Log, with a fresh look and a renewed sense of energy, and unveiled a beautifully Paul Berry Paul Berry re-designed website, updated daily. Richard J. Bodorff Harry W. Burton Harry W. Burton Frederic N. Cross Stuart A. Clarke The Museum’s Kids Club summer camp program was extended due to popular demand, William S. Dudley Frederic N. Cross offering scholarships to underserved youth in St. Michaels, and the education department David E. Dunn David E. Dunn introduced a stand-alone lecture series featuring nationally renowned speakers like Adam Jocelyn W. Eysymontt Jocelyn W. Eysymontt Goodheart, author of the New York Times bestselling book 1861: The Civil War Awakening. Anna W. Fichtner Anna W. Fichtner Howard S. Freedlander Howard S. Freedlander A newly restructured docent training program now offers volunteers the opportunity to focus Dagmar D. P. Gipe E. Brooke Harwood, Jr. on specific areas they find most interesting, such as the Crab Cakes program and ecology tours James P. Harris aboard Mister Jim for kids, or exhibit tours for adults. As a result, we have seen more interest Pamela Jana E. Brooke Harwood, Jr. R. Douglas Jurrius and increased participation by our more than 200 wonderful volunteers. Christopher A. Havener Richard H. Kimberly Francis Hopkinson As you can see, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is growing as a vital resource of inspiration, Peter M. Kreindler Pamela Jana William C. Millar engagement, and education. Beyond our charge to preserve the artifacts and historic vessels of R. Douglas Jurrius Geoffrey F. Oxnam this treasured region, our highest calling springs from the stories behind every boat, behind Richard H. Kimberly Joanne W. Prager every collection piece and exhibit, and ultimately behind the diverse people who for centuries Peter M. Kreindler “Looking for the Brass Ring / Vicious Virgin,” 2006. [22 x 30] © Marc Castelli. Bruce A. Ragsdale have lived, worked, and played on and around the Chesapeake Bay, and still do today. William C. Millar Henry H. Stansbury Geoffrey F. Oxnam Benjamin C. Tilghman, Jr. Bruce A. Ragsdale Richard C. Tilghman, Jr. Henry H. Stansbury Baird Tipson Benjamin C. Tilghman, Jr. Pictured from left: Rev. Barbara Viniar Marc Castelli: Richard C. Tilghman, Jr. Mark Nestlehutt, secretary; Alfred Tyler II Bruce B. Wiltsie Alan Griffith, vice chair; The Art of the Barbara Viniar Tom Seip, treasurer; CBMM Waterman, Langley R. Shook President Langley Shook; The Simison Langley R. Shook President Pam Jana; Joe Peters, chair; CG Appleby, vice chair; Collection President EMERITI Peter Kreindler, Bruce Richard T. Allen Ragsdale and Geoff Oxnam. EMERITI Richard T. Allen Candace Carlucci Backus Margaret D. Keller Margaret D. Keller Breene M. Kerr Breene M. Kerr Charles L. Lea, Jr. Charles L. Lea, Jr. Artist Marc Castelli explains his technique to the crowd at the members D. Ted Lewers Fred C. Meendsen reception and exhibit preview on January 29, 2011. Fred C. Meendsen John C. North II John C. North II Sumner Parker The Art of the Waterman was presented in the Steamboat Gallery from January 31 through Sumner Parker For general inquiries, email [email protected] or find us on Facebook.com/mymaritimemuseum March 25, 2011 and featured 23 paintings by renowned Chesapeake artist Marc Castelli, 17 James K. Peterson Robert A. Perkins Norman H. Plummer This report represents gifts made to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum from May 1, 2010 of which were donated to the Museum from the Diane Simison collection. The remaining James K. Peterson John J. Roberts to April 30, 2011. While we have made every effort to be as accurate as possible, we know errors images were from the artist’s personal collection. Castelli paints in watercolor on paper, working Norman H. Plummer Henry H. Spire may sometimes occur. from photographs that he takes himself. John J. Roberts James E. Thomas If we have omitted your name or made an error, please accept our sincere apologies. To notify In “Looking for the Brass Ring/Vicious Virgin,” Castelli has caught the powerful tongs lifting out Henry H. Spire Joan Darby West James E. Thomas the Museum so that corrections might be made, please contact Director of Development René of the Bay, pulling a mound of water behind them. Though the color of the sky marks this as a Donald G. Whitcomb Joan Darby West Stevenson at 410-745-4950 or [email protected]. typically cold day for oystering, and despite the mechanical help from the dredge, waterman Donald G.