Browse Exhibits (6 total)
New London, Old Ironsides
Photographs, documents, and other resources which tell the story of the New London Custom House's connection to America's oldest commissioned warship, USS Constitution.
U.S. Maritime Service Officers School at Fort Trumbull
A documentary history of the U.S. Maritime Service Officers School at Fort Trumbull, New London, Connecticut
William Douglass Alexander, Marine Engineer
Photographs and documents illustrating the career of William Douglass Alexander (1890-1949), Thames River ferry and tugboat fireman and engineer, U.S. Naval Reserve engineer, and civilian employee at the U.S. Submarine Base in his hometown of Groton, Connecticut.
New London Postcard Collection
The Frank L. McGuire Maritime Library's postcard collection features maritime images of New London and Groton in the late l9th and early 20th centuries. Neighboring shoreline towns are covered as well, such as Stonington and Noank, Connecticut, and towns between New London and the Connecticut River. The cards date primarily from the 1890s to the 1950s, while more recent examples document the shift from "colorized" lithography to full-color photography.
Duplicates or near-duplicates are included with many of these to show postmarks, personal messages, or variations in design.
Principal subjects include the Thames River and New London Harbor, steamboats and other large vessels, the Yale-Harvard Regatta, New London Harbor Light and other area lighthouses, New York Yacht Club visits, Ocean Beach Park, and historic buildings on or near the waterfront, from Union Railroad Station and the U.S. Custom House to Fort Trumbull and the Lighthouse Inn. Groton waterfront scenes include the late Griswold Hotel, Fort Griswold and the monument to the Battle of Groton Heights, the Groton-New London Ferry, and the rail and road bridges linking New London and Groton.
The work of library volunteer Gretchen van der Lyke in scanning large segments of the postcard collection for this exhibit is gratefully acknowledged.
The McGuire Library also holds a collection of American and foreign lighthouse and lightship postcards, the gift of maritime historian Norman Brouwer. These may be viewed in the library, together with our collection of more than three hundred books about lighthouses and lightships.
The Frank L. McGuire Maritime Library in New London's Custom House Maritime Museum
A brief, illustrated history of the library since its dedication on May 8, 1998.
Robert Mills, the Greek Revival, and New London's Historic Custom House
Images and information relating to Robert Mills (1781-1855), the first American-born professional architect, and his buildings for the federal government: the U.S. Treasury, U.S. Patent Office, the Washington Monuments in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD, and custom houses in New London, CT, New Bedford, MA, and Newburyport, MA.
An exhibition created by the New London Maritime Society, 2016.