Instead of Throw Back Thursdays, here at The Mariners’ Museum we have decided to do Way Back Wednesdays (we have too many Thursday events to do the former). I posted several photographs last month that showcased our objects and park, so most of my photos this month (all but one) will show you what the interior of our great institution used to look like.

These first two images show what our library used to look like. The one on the left shows the general library space in January 15, 1935 with tables for researchers in the center among the books. The setup is a bit different now as visitors to the library can no longer do research among the general collection, but in the research room outside of the collection. Our library is also no longer located on our campus, but about a mile away on the Christopher Newport University Campus, which helps it to be a great resource for researchers and students. The second image is from 1953 and shows the card catalog room (with ladies that have so obviously been staged, hah!). Our library is a fantastic resource as it holds the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. Click HERE to check out more about the library.

The photo on the left here shows the highway 60 bridge over Lake Maury being built on November 10, 1930. This is a great photo because it shows how much the landscape has changed since the Huntington’s acquired all of our land. Most of the land on the right is now part of Lake Maury. Causey’s mill is also visible on the right and that can still be seen today, right next to the lake. Causey’s mill was purchased in 1866 by William Causey, from where it got it’s name, and was renovated a number of years ago to help preserve it. The mill is actually on the National Register of Historic Places in Newport News. Before I worked at the museum, I always used to wonder about it because it seemed so odd sitting there by the hospital, but now I know! The image on the right shows our gift shop in September of 1949. The gift shop looks incredibly different now, and I would argue that to be a positive thing because this image doesn’t make it look very inviting. We also have a much larger range of objects to be purchased and for all ages.

Well, that’s all the images I have for this post, but check back for more images next month! Or you can check out our Facebook page for more images right now. Also, if there is an object or area of the museum you would specifically like to see an older photo of, leave us a comment and we will do our best to fulfill your request. Chances are we will be able to.