Oswego, N.Y. H. Lee White Maritime Museum of Oswego and New York Sea Grant have announced a Virtual Exhibit Experience freely accessible at https://hlwmm.org/path_history.php and showcasing New York State's lighthouses, shipwrecks, naval military battles, and 100 years of freshwater boating. Teachers may contact the museum for assistance in using this resource in classrooms in the fall.
This online maritime heritage resource is a spinoff of New York State maritime heritage educational exhibitry and programming developed by a multi-partner collaborative coordinated by New York Sea Grant for use at the Great New York State Fair from 2014 through 2019. H. Lee White Maritime Museum Curator Michael R. Pittavino developed the online tour with eight theme areas.
"The Path Through Maritime History exhibits echo all New Yorkers' shared heritage associated with our many waterways. We are excited that they are now virtually available for people anywhere to discover and enjoy," said Pittavino.
Virtual visitors to the site will learn fascinating details about a diverse range of people, places, ships, and activities: what caused some of New York's many shipwrecks, who was the first female lighthouse keeper in 1826, who was H. Lee White that a museum is named for him, what was the Saratoga Campaign of 1777, and what did a Captain's cabin look like during the Age of Sail on the Great Lakes.
The "Cruising Through the Ages" section explores the rise of recreational boating in 20th-century America, from wooden boat building to aluminum and fiberglass construction.
New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White says, "This virtual tour is a new way to encourage interest in New York State's fabulous maritime heritage, how that contributed to America's development, and its significant value to the coastal environment, communities and economies."
New York Sea Grant is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York with Great Lakes offices in Oswego, Newark, and Buffalo. Learn more at www.nyseagrant.org.
The H. Lee White Maritime Museum of Oswego is named for H. Lee White, who was born in 1912, attended Hamilton College and Cornell University, became a lawyer, and achieved the rank of U.S. Navy Commander by the end of World War II. By the time of his death in 1969, he led the second-largest fleet of commercial cargo vessels in the world. This 501-c-3, not-for-profit museum is provisionally chartered by the New York State Board of Regents to promote, protect, enhance, and collect the maritime historical resources and to creatively engage and inspire through educational, cultural and innovative experiences focused on Lake Ontario and its connecting waterways. Learn more at https://hlwmm.org.
