Here's what, Ann Morris (former SPSM Board member, author, historian, archivist, and Curator of the Rockland Historical Society) had to say about the Museum:
" The Sail Power and Steam Museum is one of the greatest treasures in Rockland. It preserves the maritime heritage of this blue-collar seacoast town. We have wonderful displays of the common tools and equipment of the hard working men of our maritime industries. Most museums only display items from rich people. Our museum represents the common man in this city of common men."
" The Sail Power and Steam Museum is one of the greatest treasures in Rockland. It preserves the maritime heritage of this blue-collar seacoast town. We have wonderful displays of the common tools and equipment of the hard working men of our maritime industries. Most museums only display items from rich people. Our museum represents the common man in this city of common men."
The Sail, Power, and Steam Museum
A Recipe for Success: Take an eclectic, lifetime collection of marine artifacts, boats, engines, and sails -- add interesting and historic pieces from other collections, add a bit of water (Rockland Harbor), and what do you get? Why the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum, of course!
Founded by Captain Jim Sharp and his wife, Meg, we're proud to be one of Rockland's premier museums. Covering Rockland's industrial past as well as New England's fascinating Maritime heritage, restoring and preserving classic boats, passing on our love for being out on the water through our Midcoast Sailing Center, and providing a home for area musicians to practice and perform their craft -- we're a busy place!
We encourage you to browse through these pages, take tours, click on links, consider joining us as a member or volunteer. There's always something interesting going on the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum!
Founded by Captain Jim Sharp and his wife, Meg, we're proud to be one of Rockland's premier museums. Covering Rockland's industrial past as well as New England's fascinating Maritime heritage, restoring and preserving classic boats, passing on our love for being out on the water through our Midcoast Sailing Center, and providing a home for area musicians to practice and perform their craft -- we're a busy place!
We encourage you to browse through these pages, take tours, click on links, consider joining us as a member or volunteer. There's always something interesting going on the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum!
Museum Tours
|
Self guided tours are available during our hours of business. Join Captain Jim Sharp on a hand-held video projector as he guides you, room by room, through the museum's collections. From working boat models to historically rebuilt Friendship Sloops, from our Engine Room to our H.M Payson Boat Shed, from the early days of navigation through the arctic explorations of the Schooner Bowdoin, Capt. Jim will point out items of interest along the way.
To sample a portion of the museum video tour, click here. Let Captain Jim welcome you to our wonderful little museum on the shores of Rockland Harbor. Group Tours are available for adults or children. Please call to schedule in advance. We are motor coach and school bus friendly and have several options for tours that can even include a lobster lunch experience (minimum 60 participants) |
Special Projects
We don't use the term "special" lightly! We've taken on the restoration of boats like the historic Friendship Sloop, Black Jack; building a brand new Friendship Sloop, the Persistence; built a scaled, working model of a lime kiln; "anchored" the Schooner GEM in our front yard so kids and adults alike can enjoy climbing aboard a firmly "planted" vessel; and the projects continue. We're currently restoring a Beetle Cat boat that had lived in a children's museum as a climb-aboard display. We're working on finishing Jade, a Muscongus Bay Sloop (a precursor to the Friendship Sloop) and planning to launch her in the summer of 2020. We're working on two Herreshoff 12-1/2 sailboats (one of which was formerly owned by Nelson Rockefeller).
Our boat shop is busy. Our volunteers and crew are busy. We hope you'll come see us in person, but in the meantime, enjoy a few photos of these special projects below.
Our boat shop is busy. Our volunteers and crew are busy. We hope you'll come see us in person, but in the meantime, enjoy a few photos of these special projects below.
The launching of Friendship Sloop: Black Jack
Museum Expansion
With our new atrium entrance (complete with steeple to allow for the addition of a fully functioning Foucault Pendulum), our museum expanded both the building and our collections. Now home to a collection of fully functioning boat models (including reproduction Chris Crafts, a steam powered river boat, and more) and a working, swinging Foucault Pendulum demonstrating the rotation of the earth.