The Bronze Door Society is the oldest, member-managed affinity group of The Mariners’ Museum and Park. It is an active group of Museum patrons who gather regularly for lectures, behind-the-scenes tours, and social events in order to support The Mariners' mission. 

William Henry Bartlett was a prolific artist who traveled the world to produce images for illustrated travel books from the late 1830s through the early 1850s. Learn more about the printed engravings of his artwork in the collection.

There’s something large and brown inside of it!! Wait, it’s a FROG!

Join Ariel, one of our summer interns, as she explains what happens to wood when it has been sitting underwater or in the ground for years and how they are stabilized to preserve for future generations.

A few weeks ago, on a late summer boat ride on the James River, I noticed the outlines of looming grey ships in the distance that I hadn’t seen before. “What are those?” I wondered aloud.

Tomorrow marks the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth, the oldest commemoration marking the end of slavery in the United States of America. Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person himself, even referred to it as the second Independence Day. Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, the word “Juneteenth” is an amalgamation of “June” and the “19th.”. Let’s turn back the hands of time for a moment and look at what happened 156 years ago.

The brig-of-war USS Somers is one of the most ill-fated ships in US naval history. Its story is filled with powerful politicos, mutiny at sea, executions, and famous authors.