Penobscot Marine Museum

Penobscot Marine Museum is a maritime museum in Searsport spread across multiple buildings containing ships' artifacts, documents, and historical collections. The complex includes a research library, archives, and modern galleries that together tell the story of the region's connection to the sea.

Founded in 1936, this institution became Maine's oldest maritime museum and has documented centuries of shipping activity in the region. Several of the original buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving the construction styles of earlier generations.

The museum houses thousands of photographs from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Company, showing how New England residents lived and worked between 1909 and 1947. These images reveal details of daily life that would otherwise be forgotten.

The museum complex is spread across several buildings along Church Street with clear signage between locations. It is walkable and offers a gift shop and research facilities for visitors interested in maritime topics.

The museum's collections reveal that Searsport was a center of shipbuilding and seafaring in the 1800s, with many residents making their living from the sea. This heritage is visible in the photograph archives and preserved building structures that keep that maritime era alive.