Maine’s geographic location in the historic New England Region of the northeastern United States, coupled with the prevailing westerly winds and close proximity to the Gulf Stream made it
a perfect jumping off point for the Atlantic Ocean to European trade ports and beyond. Our natural resources of forests for wooden shipbuilding and sailing masts, as well as our sloping shoreline made building and launching merchant ships of all sizes possible. The nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Maine are home to food fish and shellfish, most notably the Maine lobster. The islands and harbors of Penobscot Bay attract recreational boaters to enjoy a day or week of exploring.
Penobscot Marine Museum preserves and presents traditional boatbuilding tools and traditional small wooden boats in our exhibits and boat barns of fishing and recreational boats. Learn more about our collections in these four videos:
Canoes: https://youtu.be/IPF9X4GH55E
Recreational boats: https://youtu.be/a0qDtz3biBM
Fishing boats: https://youtu.be/tVzCtbzjXZw
Shipbuilding: https://youtu.be/b3JfvqeNtK4