In the News
Boston Globe: All-out effort to get people to waterfront this summer
“We have history on the waterfront, we have art and culture, too,’’ said Anne Grimes Rand, president of the Constitution Museum. “It seems like a great time to bring people back to the waterfront and let them see how Boston shines.’’ Read more>>
Boston Globe: Tiny ship replicas a labor of love
Not far from Old Ironsides yesterday, 70 model ships were on a table inside the USS Constitution Museum. It was the first day of the annual ship model show of the USS Constitution Model Shipwright Guild. Tony Colton, 62, a model ship builder from Quincy, demonstrated how he builds tiny ships that fit inside narrow-necked bottles. Ray Crean, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Beverly, was working on a model of a German ocean liner that first sailed in 1897. Read more >>
Boston Globe: Model ships at the USS Constitution Museum
As anyone who has ever built a model of any kind knows, one person’s tedium is another’s bliss. You’ll find ample proof of that axiom right now at the USS Constitution Museum, where a ship model show featuring more than 60 handcrafted replicas has taken up temporary residence. Read more >>
The War of 1812: A New Look
The dress sword of Captain Isaac Hull c. 1806 adorned the pages of Pull Together, the Newsletter of the Naval Historical Foundation, in an article on the War of 1812. The USS Constitution Museum is partnering with the US Navy and Opsail in planning bicentennial commemorations for the War of 1812. Museum President, Anne Grimes Rand serves along with NHF Executive Direcetot Capt. Charles T. Creekman on the Navy's Advisory Group planning the commemorative activities nationwide. Rand chairs the Education Committee whose goal is to ensure that the 1812 bicentennial has a lasting impact... read more here (pg 8) >>
Elizabeth Meyer receives Don Turner Award from the USS Constitution Museum
A name familiar to J Class aficionados, Elizabeth Meyer was honored at the annual USS Constitution Museum Chairman's Dinner and Awards ceremony in September. She received the Don Turner Award for her work in maritime preservation. Read more about Meyer's work from Megayacht News>>
Prologue Magazine - National Archives
Cover image - USS Constitution by Marshall Johnson (late 19th century - image from USS Constitution Museum collection). Full feature - by Sarah Watkins and Matthew Brenckle - "All Hands on Deck - A Sailor's Life in 1812"
Prologue Magazine, published by the National Archives featured the article, All Hands on Deck - A Sailor's Life in 1812 The article describes the innovative and interactive approach the Museum took to create the award - winning exhibit, All Hands on Deck. Visitors to the exhibit can travel back in time and be recruited as a sailor and learn what it is like to leave loved ones behind for a life at sea. Furl a sail, fire a canon or scrub the decks, the Museum integrates the everyday activities you would experience in 1812. This research into the crew led the Museum to create library kits that are available to public libraries across Massachusetts and an interactive game and online curriculum - www.asailorslifeforme.org. The website lets everyone share and explore the history of the ship. The curriculum recently won a bronze American Association of Museums, MUSE award for online presence., for the fall 2011 quarterly issue. The article, written by Museum staff Sarah Watkins, Director and Collections & Learning and Matthew Brenckle, Research Historian, speaks about the culmination of ten years of research into the lives of the men who served on board Constitution in 1812.
USS Constitution Museum becomes Smithsonian Institution Affiliate
October, 2011 - The USS Constitution Museum announces its new affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution and is pleased to report that it is the FIRST Museum in Boston to receive this honored partnership. This exciting new endeavor brings the Smithsonian, in all of its breadth and scope to our Boston hub and offers opportunities for the public to explore perspectives on history and culture. The USS Constitution Museum and Smithsonian Institution share common goals of disseminating knowledge and a strong commitment to serving our community. Read what Harold Closter, Director of Smithsonian Institution Affliates wrote about the Museum on his blog!
US Navy Celebrates 214th Anniversary of USS Constitution
Last Friday was the 214th anniversary of the U.S. Navy’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat - the USS Constitution. On October 21, 1797, the Constitution was launched in Boston Harbor. On Friday, the ship sailed into that same harbor for a 21-gun salute - then another 17 shots for the seventeen U.S. states that existed when the ship was built. The Constitution earned the nickname Old Ironsides for its durability. Watch a video and read more from Ideastream Newsdepth.
Weymouth Library Happenings
Due to the generosity of the Friends of Weymouth Public Libraries, our stable of museums in the library’s museum discount pass program has grown to include the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, and as a lead up to the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 in which the USS Constitution played a pivotal role, the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown has given us passes to share with card holders for free admission to the museum. Read More from Weymouth Wiked Local.
Museum Hosts A Launching Party - Let's Party Like It's 1812
October 20, 2011 - The USS Constitution Museum invites librarians and educators to a special evening of introduction to learn about new free resources created for schools and libraries in commemoration of the Bicentennial Anniversary of the War of 1812.
Ironsides 8 - A Recipe for Success
The 2011 Boarding Party and Collections Open House Rum Challenge winner was the “Ironsides 8,” conceptualized by Boston bartender, Scott Marshall. “The drink is a play on the classic Boston cocktail – “Ward 8” created in 1898 that also used Bacardi” – Scott Marshall
Scott has worked at some of Boston’s most acclaimed watering holes, including Barbara Lynch’s Drink in the Fort Point area and City Bar in the Lenox hotel. Congratulations Scott! Other Rum Challenge contestants included Louisa Smith from Goody Glovers in the North End and Stuart Henry from the Washington Square Tavern in Brookline.
“Ironsides 8” Recipe:
2 oz. Bacardi 8 yr
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. homemade pomegranate grenadine*
2 dash Bitterman's Elemakule Tiki Bitters
fresh mint
Preparation:
Rub mint leaves around inside of oversized goblet, then discard
Fill glass with crushed ice
Shake Bacardi 8, Grand Marnier & lime
Pour into prepared glass
Sink grenadine and bitters
Garnish with mint sprig
*equal parts 100% pomegranate juice and white sugar, stir to dissolve at room temp
We've Got It!- The Andrew Jackson Mouth, Part of a Figurehead Onboard Constitution in 1834
May 2011 - The USS Constitution Museum has got it! The mouth section of USS Constitution’s Andrew Jackson figurehead that was decapitated in 1834 now resides at the Museum in Boston. The rest of the head that was split in two when it was removed in the dark of night from ‘Old Ironsides,’ is at the Museum of the City of New York. But the location of the mouth was a mystery until now.
USS Constitution Museum Receives American Association of Museums MUSE Award for Online Presence - www.asailorslifeforme.org The USS Constitution Museum received the Bronze MUSE Award for Online Presence at the American Association of Museum (AAM) Conference in Houston Texas, May 23, 2011. The Museum, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA across from “Old Ironsides,” received this award for the creation of online game and educational resource, “A Sailor’s Life For Me!” According to AAM, this award was granted “in recognition of the highest standards of excellence in the use of media and technology.” - AAM Muse Awards
Your Next Weekend Away in Boston
Old Ironsides and the USS Constitution Museum. Make your way to the Charleston Navy Yard for this perennially-popular attraction. Immerse yourself for a while in the ship that – to this day – defines a nation. Read more about the Museum and weekend activities in Boston from cheapflights.com
A Sailor's Life for Me!
Ever try scrambling up three ship’s ladders to “pass powder” to you gun while tossing and turning on the high seas? When was the last time you spent hours on your knees, scrubbing a wooden deck with a stone til clean, only to have a seagull fly by and in one foul instant, ruin your work, resulting in having to start again? Experience life on board Constitution in 1812 on this new, award winning, educational site for all ages. Find out more here >>
The Birthplace of the Navy
Can you name the birthplace of the U.S. Navy? Are you certain? If you are, there’s a chance you are the only one who is. Archivist of the United States, David Ferriero, celebrated the 235th anniversary of the U.S. Navy at the Museum by presenting the various arguments in this debate to an enthusiastic (sometimes biased) audience. Read more at 90.9 wbur, AOTUS National Archives, or WickedLocal.com.
Family Learning Project
Have you always loved history and history museums? As a kid, did you explore history exhibits with the same passion you do today, or did the lengthy copy and prevailing quiet get in the way? For many, the traditional formula of displaying an artifact with copy is not compelling – and this is certainly true for many family groups. The USS Constitution Museum is helping to change that through their Family Learning Project. Read more here >>
Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Roughead, Celebrates Navy Week 2010 in Boston
Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Roughead, celebrates Navy Week 2010 in Boston. The USS Constitution Museum hosted a small reception for him, after which he visited Constitution’s crew. More on his visit here >>