Our Permanent Collections
The principal exhibits at Penobscot Marine Museum focus on the industry of Penobscot Bay in the 19th century and illustrate what it was like to live and work on one of the great square-rigged ships in the last quarter of the 19th century, and to visit China when it truly was exotic.
The Museum is also known for its collection of fine 19th-century marine art, featuring one of the largest collections of Thomas and James Buttersworth paintings and several by Robert Salmon. Scrimshaw, figureheads, and art and artifacts date from the "Great Age of Sail," when Searsport's sea captains visited ports the world over.
The Penobscot Marine Museum is spread through a series of historic buildings on the Register of Historic Places. Most have been converted to exhibit galleries. One is set up as the home of a late 19th century sea captain.
