Oldest Bath-built wooden vessel acquired by MMM
Courtesy of Matt Culen
Mary E, a fishing schooner built in Bath in 1906, has been running cruises in Connecticut since 2006.
Courtesy of Maine Maritime Museum
Mary E in 1965 during her restoration at the Donnell Shipyard property, which is now part of the campus of Maine Maritime Museum in Bath.
Maine Maritime Museum in Bath acquired what is believed to be oldest Bath-built wooden vessel still afloat.
It’s also considered to be the oldest fishing schooner built in Maine that is still afloat.
The Mary E was built in 1906 by Thomas E. Hagan on the site of what is now Bath Iron Works. It was restored in Bath in 1965 on the grounds of what is now the Maine Maritime Museum. It is the last of 69 vessels built by Hagan and representative of the type of vessel that would have been a common site in the 1900s.
“Since the museum’s board approved the acquisition of this historic vessel, word has spread quickly. So many people have commented about the incredible gift this will be for the state of Maine to return this beautiful schooner to the place where she was built. We could not be more excited to restore and preserve this beautiful and significant symbol of Maine’s past,” Amy Lent, the museum’s executive director, said.
The Mary E is being acquired from Matt Culen of Pelham, N.Y.
It will be delivered to the museum in spring 2017. Restoration started by Culen will be completed on the museum’s campus, giving the public a chance to see the shipbuilding work first hand.
Once completed, the Mary E will be docked at the museum, which is on the Kennebec River. It will also travel to events up and down the coast as an ambassador for the museum and Bath, which is known as the “City of Ships.”
“This is a vessel of remarkable importance, despite its modest size,” said Nathan Lipfert, senior curator at the museum. “We have compiled a list of historic Maine vessels that are still extant, and there is nothing older, or better, that is available to us.”
To help pay for the restoration and preservation, the museum will launch a major fundraising effort.
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