Havre de Grace Maritime Museum and Environmental Center
Mission
To collect, document, preserve, and interpret the maritime skills and cultural heritage of the Lower Susquehanna River and Upper Chesapeake Bay region.
The Environmental Center’s mission is to inspire and educate residents of, and visitors to, the Lower Susquehanna River and Upper Chesapeake Bay region to appreciate, understand, and protect their natural environment through outdoor, onsite, and online experience, education, exhibits, and support of scientific research.
About the Museum
The Havre de Grace Maritime Museum is situated where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. It tells the story of this region’s rich maritime heritage. Teeming with numerous species of flora and fauna and having highly navigable waters, this unique environmental setting has been the perfect backdrop for generations of inhabitants - from the earliest Native Americans over 10,000 years ago, to the first European colonists in the 1600’s, to today’s thriving community of the 21st century. In 1782, the Marquis de Lafayette is said to have looked down over the town as he rode along the Post Road and commented that it was a charming “Havre de Grace” (pronounced "Haver-dee-Grayce").
Our museum is a 10,000 square foot, three-story modern building, which includes two galleries on the main floor that also function as public and private event spaces. Our ground floor supports a working boat shop as well as our Environmental Center, which houses a gallery, indoor and outdoor classroom and research/teaching laboratory.
We are within the Concord Point Heritage Corridor, which is Havre de Grace's historic district spanning five waterfront acres. We are also a designated attraction on the National Park Service's John Smith and Star Spangled Banner Trails.