Paid programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Maritime Museum in Beaufort.
In 1867, W. J. Bushall moved from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Core Creek to farm and fish. He left behind a diary from 1867 that details his life farming, fishing, and transporting his agricultural products by boat to market. The diary provides a view of...
Join Education Curator Benjamin Wunderly to learn about the wreck of the Caribsea, a casualty of World War II. On March 11, 1942, this cargo freighter was sunk by the German U-boat 158 off Cape Lookout while heading from Santiago de Cuba to Baltimore, Maryland....
Ranked among the fiercest pirates from the “Golden Age of Piracy,” Anne Bonny and Mary Read have stories that daytime TV could only aspire to. Join Associate Education Curator Christine Brin in the museum auditorium to learn about these women pirates. She will trace what...
In the 1870s, George Washington Creef of Roanoke Island developed what came to be known as the "North Carolina Shad Boat." He went on to influence generations of boatbuilders by sharing his design and expertise. The boat design spread throughout northeastern North Carolina, becoming one...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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.