Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Today is another grey day with overcast skies and scattered showers.   No visit to St Michaels is complete without a trip to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.  Of the nine buildings on its campus, none is more recognizable than the Hooper Straits screwpile lighthouse.

After standing watch for 75 years, it was decommissioned, moved to this site, restored and furnished, it provides a look into the lightkeepers life.

A view of St Michaels from the top.  Looking across the harbor towards the marina and Island Passage:

Looking towards the village:

Looking out at the Miles river and the Freedom Schooner Amistad.

The Amistad sailed in today from New Haven, CT for a one month tour of the Chesapeake area.  Of course, I was drawn to it like a magnet.

Boy, does it capture the imagination? 
You can read more about it here: Freedom Schooner Amistad

The museum had exhibits covering local maritime heritage as waterfowl hunting, boatbuilding and oystering.  One of my favorites is the steamboat building.  Below is one of the huge steam engines that moved these giants across the Bay in earlier times.

We could easily spend at least a week and not see all the exhibits and artifacts available here.  However it was time for the usuals and then dinner at the Town Dock Restaurant at the marina.