Sag Harbor Whaling Museum
The Sag Harbor Whaling Museum ( English Sag Harbor Whaling Museum ) is a public museum in Sag Harbor , Long Island , USA . In New York State it is the largest museum of its kind.
The building and the collection
The building used as a museum was built in 1845 for the owner of a whaling fleet Benjamin Huntting (1796-1867) in Sag Harbor. The architect was Minard Lafever (1798–1854) from the city of New York. The building was constructed in the modern Greek style, which was very popular in America in the 1840s. The front is adorned with columns in the Corinthian style, the building itself rests on a stone foundation, but is also entirely made of wood. The last occupant of the house was Mrs. Olivia Sage (1828–1918), who used it as a summer residence from 1908 until her death. Then the local Masonic Lodge acquired it. The Masonic Lodge was then no longer able to hold the building; it was acquired by the whaling museum founded in 1936. The box and the Order of Eastern Star were given the upper floor for further use. The Masonic symbol and the gable inscription "Masonic Temple" indicate this use. - Founded by the Sag Harbor Historical Society, the museum was taken over by the University of New York State in 1942.
The first room after entering the house is the former reception room, it is the most beautiful room in the house. The fireplace is framed in Carrara marble , which was imported from Italy. A Dominy chest of drawers from 1796 decorates the room. There is a collection of simple incisions on whale teeth, so-called " scrimshaw ", which were made by whalers. You can also see souvenirs from the whalers from foreign countries. - From there you come into the great hall and in the background you can see the circular staircase that leads to the second floor. The handrail of the banister is made of marble and the rungs are made of bird's eye maple . The dome over the center lets in sunshine through colored glass. - The piano harp in the room is a pretty rare piece. This has only 84 strings instead of the usual 88. The piano harp was probably made around 1899 and probably comes from Switzerland. - In the “Harpoon and Tool Room” you can see a nice collection of harpoons and tools from the whaling era. There are also logbooks of the whalers, of which there are only a few left. - Early nautical charts of the port of Sag and its surroundings can be seen in the rear room.
Outside the house you can see a whaling boat equipped with oars of various lengths. The special shape of the oarlocks made it possible to row particularly quietly. Some large cauldrons for whale meat processing can also be seen.
annotation
- ↑ Mrs. Sage was a teacher, philanthropist and campaigner for women's rights. She founded the Russell Sage College and the Russel Sage Foundation.
- ↑ The Dominy family, based in nearby East Hampton , created high-quality furniture over three generations, from around 1760 to around 1820. Further examples can also be seen in the nearby former Custom House in Sag Harbor.
literature
- Suffolk County Whaling Museum (Ed.): Suffolk County Whaling Museum of Sag Harbor, Long Island. Leaflet, 1969.
Web links
Coordinates: 40 ° 59 ′ 51.7 " N , 72 ° 17 ′ 49.6" W.