Have you ever gotten the sense that something is following you around? Maybe there is a phrase, word, song, or something else that just keeps popping up in unexpected places, and you’re not sure why? That happened to me recently, and the product is this blog post!

Just hours away from reinforcing Ft. Sumter and hours away from saving Gosport Navy Yard, USS Pawnee eventually became a valuable blockader. This steam screw gunboat was involved in several major operations with the Atlantic Blockading Squadron, North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and South Atlantic Blockading Squadron until the war’s end.

As it turns out, Slinkys have ended up on military ships, private yachts and possibly even in the children’s nurseries on cruise ships. And the Slinky has another surprising maritime connection.

In the 1910s, Brown's Grove was the only excursion steamboat and amusement park combination entirely owned and operated by African Americans.

High-resolution digital images are available for print and electronic publications, educational programs, research, commercial television, and personal use. Reproductions of specific items in the Collection are also available as high-quality giclée reproductions.

There was no formal naval intelligence system established during the American Civil War. While a few examples exist of Northern sympathizers, free Blacks, like Mary Louvestre of Portsmouth, sent messages to various Union commanders about the Confederate ironclad construction effort.

In this special, in-depth edition of Beyond the Frame, we explore the world of oysters - past and present. Two 1907 paintings by Clifford Warren Ashley highlight oyster dredging and replanting from the skipjack Mattie Flavell as it was done over 115 years ago. While exploring these works, the author, Kyra Duffley, worked with both oyster farmers and restoration specialists in  our world today to show the full-circle story of oystering. Read the full blog to learn about the mariners who come together in the name of the oyster.

The tins that contained the early toffees were very unique, showing stylized alphabets, fairy tales, royal families, astronauts, and numerous other fanciful scenes. The tin in our collection features two ships at sea.