Paid programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Maritime Museum in Beaufort.

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: Beaufort’s Dolphins, Getting to Know Them

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Join Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster for an informal discussion about the biology, behavior, and conservation issues affecting "Beaufort’s Dolphins."  Bottlenose dolphins occur in the waters off Beaufort year-round but they’re not the same individuals all year. We are learning a lot about these...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: The International Fishermen & Allied Workers of America in Eastern North Carolina

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Following World War II, the Congress of Industrial Workers embarked on a campaign to unionize the South. As a part of that campaign, the International Fishermen and Allied Workers of America, a small Seattle-based labor union, attempted to unionize North Carolina’s commercial fishing industry. The...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: The Cape Lookout Lighthouse

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly will talk about the history of the Cape Lookout lighthouse, an iconic landmark of Carteret County. The presentation will cover both lighthouse structures at Cape Lookout, the extant 1812 tower, and the still standing 1859 tower. Many images of the lighthouse...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: Conservation Basics: Identifying and Dealing with Museum Pests

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Many museum artifacts provide tasty treats for a variety of insects, animals, and fungi. A big part of museum conservation is preventing damage to our artifacts, which means knowing what’s eating your collection! Join museum conservator Michelle Crepeau in this lecture all about identifying common...

Free

A Curiosity Grows in Carolina: The Carnivorous Plant That Consumed the 18th Century

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

On April 2, 1759 a letter was penned that would rock the botanical world: the first documented description of the Venus flytrap. Tales of this tiny green predator from the pine savannahs of Southeastern North Carolina would sweep throughout Europe. Join Shannon Walker, curator of...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: A General History of Mermaids

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

The oceans truly connect us all, from pole to pole and around the equator. The legend of the mermaid is a great representation of that connection, one that binds seafarers the world over. A half-human, half-fish creature has appeared in many cultures throughout time and...

Free

Maritime Heritage Series: Screw-pile Lighthouses of North Carolina

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

The brick lighthouses along North Carolina’s beaches are famous around the nation, probably none more so than the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at Buxton. But these towers weren’t the only structures that helped mariners navigate our waters during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Join...

Free

Maritime Heritage Series: ‘Life Aboard Ship, Means Going at Sea’

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

When nature calls, you must go! But where do you go while at sea? You may be surprised by the historical practices of something so basic as using the bathroom when it comes to being on board a ship many years ago. Join Associate Curator...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: It’s Getting Hot in Here: The Importance of Relative Humidity and Maintaining a Stable Environment for Your Collections

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Ever wonder what those little gadgets with the temperature and humidity read-outs in museum cases are all about? How about those pink-blue strips, the ones that look like a flat thermometer? Or those little baggies of orange-green beads? Conservators and Collection’s staff spend a great...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: Diamondback Terrapins: Uncovering Their History and Shell-ebrating Their Future

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Diamondback terrapins, a unique and striking marsh turtle, have a long history in Beaufort, from collection and farming in the 1900s to present-day conservation efforts. Join Associate Curator of Education Courtney Felton to discover how terrapins went from being considered a delicacy to being protected....

Free

Maritime Heritage Series: The Story Behind Echo the Whale

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

Join Museum Natural Science Curator Keith Rittmaster for an informal discussion about “Echo” (the museum’s 33.5-foot sperm whale skeleton) and his heart. When the adolescent male whale came ashore at Cape Lookout in 2004, his bones and heart were preserved for study and display. Keith...

Free

MARITIME HERITAGE SERIES: The Price of Victory: Federal Confiscation of Watercraft in Civil War North Carolina

North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC, United States

During the Civil War, federal soldiers in coastal North Carolina confiscated civilian watercraft on behalf of the war effort. After the war, affected civilians could file for compensation through the Southern Claims Commission. The applications for compensation provide insights into the maritime lives of ordinary...

Free

Registration and Refund Policy:

Registration costs, less a 10% fee, are refunded when the museum receives cancellation notice at least 48 hours before the start of a program. There is no refund within 48 hours of the start of a program, and tickets cannot be transferred to a later program date within that 48 hour timeframe. Due to material costs and supply, Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center Courses require a 2-week notification for cancellations; only the course fee is refunded if cancellation occurs prior to 2 weeks. The Museum reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet the minimum participant requirement up to one week before the program is scheduled. In the event of cancellation due to low enrollment, participants who have submitted a fee will receive a full refund. If a program is canceled due to inclement weather and unable to be rescheduled for another date, the participants will receive a full refund.