Calendar

Newburyport's

Heritage in a

Two-Museum

Exhibition

Featuring a FREE Walking Tour through downtown Newburyport!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE WALKING TOUR BROCHURE

Experience the essential story of historic Newburyport through a not-to-be-missed  exhibition in three parts, taken in any sequence.

The first part is a FREE self-guided walking tour through the downtown State Street / Fruit Street corridor linking Newburyport's two museums.

The next two parts provide you with key stories of Risk & Reward through visits to the Custom House Maritime Museum and the Historical Society of Old Newbury Museum.

At the turn of the 19th century Newburyport was one of New England's busiest ports. Young boys drawn from their family's farms in search of opportunity and adventure would find themselves on fantastic and often dangerous voyages, crisscrossing the Atlantic and the seven seas.

Rewards for shipmasters, sea captains and merchants alike could be enormous, as were their risks.  Far too often an entire ship would be swallowed by North Atlantic gales. In families of 7, 8 or 9 siblings, it was not uncommon for more than half to have been lost at sea. Associations like the Marine Society of Newburyport, founded in 1772, were formed to help lower these risks.

Once financially established, many captains became merchants, no longer risking their own lives at sea, but hiring others to do so. But life as a merchant came with its own risks, albeit not of life, but of fortune, fortunes likely hard-won at sea. Many came to discover they weren’t good merchants after all – and had to go back to sea to recover from losses.

Experience this essential story of Newburyport through an exhibition in three parts, taken in any sequence. The first part is a FREE self-guided walking tour through the downtown State Street / Fruit Street corridor between Newburyport’s two museums, highlighting major landmarks with tempting facts and details. Then, at your leisure, visit the exhibition at each museum.  There's even a convenient single discounted admission, providing a saving of up to 20% for admission to both the Historical Society of Old Newbury Museum and the Custom House Maritime Museum.

Members, residents, visitors and tourists alike are invited to celebrate Newburyport's rich heritage. Pick up an exhibition brochure with its FREE walking tour at either museum, or click HERE to download all the details.

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by