Browse Exhibits (20 total)

Remembering Ellery Thompson: Fisherman, Writer, Artist, Free Spirit

An exhibition of the life and times of Ellery Franklin Thompson (1899-1986), whose writings, published and unpublished, provide first-hand glimpses into the maritime history of southeastern Connecticut.

Brian Rogers, Online Exhibitions Librarian, April, 2020

Chapters about publication of Draggerman's Haul updated in 2023 to reflect correspondence donated by the Calhoun family.

Arethusa, Bernard Gordon, Block Island, Book & Tackle Shop, Come Aboard the Draggers, Custom House Maritime Museum, Daniel Merriman, Draggerman's Haul, Draggerman's Loot, Ellery Thompson, Ellery Thompson New Yorker magazine, fisherman, Fishers Island, Fort Rachel, Groton Connecticut, John Cleary, Joseph Mitchell, L. A. Dunton schooner, Larchmont steamboat, Long Island Sound, Morgan McGinley, Mystic Connecticut, Mystic Seaport, New London Connecticut, paintings, Prohibition, Stephen Jones, Stonington Connecticut, Thames River New London, The Day New London, Trawling, William McCoy, Yale fishery biologists

Down to the Shore: By Steamboat from Norwich to Block Island and Back

A memoir by Gerard E. Jensen (1884-1970) of his boyhood trips at the turn of the 19th century aboard scheduled steamboats connecting Norwich, Connecticut, and Block Island, Rhode Island, with stops at Montville, New London, Stonington, and Watch Hill.

Originally published in the Fall, 1967, issue of Steamboat Bill, the Journal of the Steamship Historical Society of America. Reprinted with permission.

Illustrated with images from the original article and vintage postcards from the collection of the Frank L. McGuire Maritime Library.

Edited by Brian Rogers, Online Exhibits Librarian

Block Island Rhode Island, Ella steamboat, Gerard E. Jensen, Gypsy steamboat, Long Island Sound, New London Connecticut, New London Steamboat Co. Block Island steamboat, Norwich Connecticut, Steamboat Bill magazine, Steamship Historical Society, Thames River Connecticut

S. S. Tasco: New London's Plucky Salvage Ship

The screw steamship Tasco was built in New London in 1907. In 1908 it was registered to the T.A. Scott Company (hence its name: TASCO), as a rescue and salvage vessel, based in New London. From 1908 to 1914 the Tasco took part in the rescue or salvage of nearly 150 wrecked ships along the east coast of the United States from as far north as Maine and south to Key West.

In 1914, it was sold to Mr. J. Shewan of Brooklyn, New York. In 1917, it was purchased from Mr. Shewan by the U.S. Navy and commissioned as the USS Tasco, SP502, a minesweeper and patrol vessel. It was decommissioned in 1919 and returned to Mr. Shewan. There are no further records of the Tasco after 1919.

The Tasco Collection in the Frank L. McGuire Maritime Library contains a variety of documents and photos related to the service of the Tasco. The collection was donated to the Custom House Maritime Museum in 2001 by Mr. David A. Allen of Groton, Connecticut. The collection includes about 190 photographs and postcards, the log book of the Tasco from December 15, 1908 to March 2, 1914, an edited version of the the log, and photocopies of newspaper clippings and other documents relating to the activities of the Tasco.

The records of the T. A. Scott Company, from 1889 to 1927, including many documents relevant to the Tasco, are held at the G.W. Blunt Library at Mystic Seaport.

To see all of the scanned images from the Tasco photograph album, click on S.S. Tasco Photographs.

--Laurie M. Deredita, Librarian

rescue vessel, S.S. Tasco, salvage vessel, T. A. Scott Company, Tasco logbook

New London and the First Steam-Powered Atlantic Crossing

An exhibit about New London's unique relationship with the SS Savannah and her pioneering transatlantic voyage in 1819 under Captain Moses Rogers and First Mate Stevens Rogers.

We gratefully acknowledge the support and advice of John Laurence Busch in the preparation of this exhibit.

---Brian Rogers, Online Exhibits Librarian

(Click on the first chapter title, top left, to start paging through the exhibit. Titles also display at the foot of each page for easy navigation.)

Arendal Norway, Fickett & Crockett, Frances M. Caulkins, Frank O. Braynard, Howard Chapelle, Jean-Baptiste Marestier, John Laurence Busch, John Stevens, Kronstadt Russia, Liverpool England, Lord Lynedoch, Moses Rogers, N.S. Savannah, National Maritime Day, New London Connecticut, Robert Fulton, S.S. Savannah, Savannah Georgia, St. Petersburg Russia, Steam Coffin, Stevens Rogers, The Elegant Steam Ship, William Scarbrough

Old Ironsides - New London

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.

by Rebecca Parmer

Cmdr Louis J. Gulliver, Isaac Hull, National Cruise 1931, Naval Documents of the American Revolution, New London Connecticut, Old Ironsides, Rebecca Parmer, US Custom House New London Connecticut, USS Constitution, USS Grebe

U.S. Maritime Service Officers School at Fort Trumbull

A pictorial history of the U.S. Maritime Service Officers School at Fort Trumbull, New London, Connecticut (1939 - 1946)

Begin by clicking on the first heading in the chapter list at left. The headings also appear at the foot of each page, allowing viewers to page forward or backward.

Fort Trumbull, Fort Trumbull State Park, Kings Point, Merchant Marine, Merchant Marine Act of 1936, Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory, New London, S.S. America, S.S. American Mariner training ship, S.S. John W. Brown, Trumbullog, U.S. Maritime Service Officers School, U.S.S. West Point, War Shipping Administration

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.

Historic Postcard Views

The Frank L. McGuire Maritime Library's postcard collection features maritime images of New London and Groton in the late 19th 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 large collection of modern postcards of American and foreign lighthouses and lightships, 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.

New London, postcards

The Frank L. McGuire Maritime Library in New London's Custom House Maritime Museum

An illustrated history of the library by Brian Rogers, New London Maritime Society Librarian 2009-2019 and Online Exhibits Librarian since 2020.

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 Brian Rogers, Librarian from 2009 to 2019, for the New London Maritime Society, 2016.

"America's First Architect" book, "The American Pharos" book, Custom House Maritime Museum, Greek Revival, John M. Bryan, New Bedford Custom House, New London Custom House, Newburyport Custom House, Old Patent Office, Robert Mills architect, U.S. Patent Office Washington, Washington Monument