Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum

09/03/2026

LAND & SEA CLUB -SESSION 1 RIVER & MARSH ECOLOGY

Land & Sea Club brings kids into the working life of the Museum Shipyard to explore, make, and learn by doing.

For this six-week fall session, we’ll head outside to investigate the Essex River and salt marsh. Students will explore tides and water quality, identify plants and animals, track invasive green crabs, learn about the changing marsh ecosystem, and develop practical skills for safely working around boats and the waterfront.

This isn’t a classroom program moved outside. We’ll use the Shipyard, river, marsh, boats, and the world around us as the classroom.

Ages 10-16
Tuesdays & Thursdays | 3–5 PM
Six weeks | $75/week
Maximum 15 participants

No previous experience is necessary. Come dressed to be outside, get dirty, and participate.

Come be part of the crew.

Tue 9/15 & Thur 9/17

Tue 9/22 & Thur 9/24

Tue 9/29 & Thur 10/1

Tue 10/6 & Thur 10/8

Tue 10/13 & Thur 10/15

Tue 10/20 & Thur 10/22

Love Land & Sea Club?

Keep an eye out for future sessions. Additional programs may be offered throughout the school year based on interest.

PRE REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Members use code: MEMBER10 for 10% OFF in the cart

https://www.essexshipbuilding.org/tickets/land-and-sea-club

09/02/2026

Our own Essex-built schooner.

Lewis H. Story was built right here in Essex in 1998 by Master Shipwright Harold Burnham. A Chebacco boat inspired by the small working vessels of early New England, she carries an old Essex tradition into the present.

Named for Essex historian Lewis H. Story, she serves as the flagship of the Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum and the Town of Essex.

She is also one of our favorite reminders that the list of Essex-built vessels did not end with the great fishing schooners. We are still building boats here. The knowledge is still being practiced, passed along, and put to sea.

More than 4,000 vessels built in Essex, and counting.

09/01/2026

A working schooner with a racing heart. Built in Essex.

Launched by James & Tarr in 1905, Rose Dorothea was one of Thomas F. McManus’s celebrated “Indian Head” schooners, built first and foremost to fish.

But she could race.

In 1907, Rose Dorothea competed for the Lipton Cup. Even after losing her foremast during the competition, she prevailed, securing her place among the great Essex-built racing fishermen.

Her working life eventually carried her far beyond New England. In 1917, while returning from Portugal with salt and codfish, she encountered a German U-boat. Her crew escaped safely before the schooner was sunk.

Built in Essex. Fished across the Atlantic. Raced into history.

Come discover the stories of more than 4,000 Essex-built vessels at the Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum.

08/31/2026

08/31/2026

The weekend has arrived, and so has another episode of the show for you to enjoy!

- KD Montgomery, Executive Director of the Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum in Essex, joins Nichole this week to talk about the museum's storied history and a unique opportunity for you to learn the very same skills and traditions that have been revered for generations 🛶
- Mary Cate Colapietro, Senior Communications Specialist at ISO New England in Holyoke, helps to break down the latest "Regional Electricity Outlook". It takes an in-depth look at all kinds of factors that could impact the future of our power grid, from AI data centers to the role of renewable resources 🔌

Listen live at the dates and times below, or catch the on your own time! You can find it at the link in our bio or on your preferred streaming service, including the app 📲

08/31/2026

Artist Ivy Fowler bringing a little color to the Essex River Cultural District at a Fest past.

One of our favorite things about these days is seeing what our neighbors make, and getting to meet the hands and minds behind it.

EHSSM is open Wed–Sun, 11–5
ERCD Arts & Culture Fest • September 26

08/30/2026

Always wanted to build your own boat?

Now is your chance.

October 2026.

08/29/2026

The perfect boat for the salt marsh... Build your own dory. October 2026

https://www.essexshipbuilding.org/tickets/salt-marsh-dory-class

08/28/2026

Found Friday: On September 15, 1907, a tugboat prepares to tow the schooner Arethusa downriver and on to Gloucester for fitting out.

Arethusa was built and launched from the James shipyard in Essex. Another schooner under construction in the Story yard can be seen almost ready for launching in the background.

08/27/2026

Built for the Banks. Built for speed. Built in Essex.

Launched from A.D. Story’s yard in 1922, Henry Ford was designed by Thomas F. McManus and became one of the fastest schooners in the Gloucester fishing fleet.

She was a working halibut schooner, but speed brought her to the international stage. Henry Ford challenged Bluenose in 1922 and returned to racing the following year, winning the Lipton Cup.

These schooners were not yachts pretending to work. They were working vessels that raced with the same crews who took them fishing.

More than 4,000 vessels have been built along the Essex River. Henry Ford was one of the swiftest.

Come discover the ships and shipbuilders behind the story at the Essex Historical Society & Shipbuilding Museum.