Calvert Marine Museum

The Calvert Marine Museum is a history museum on Solomons Island that focuses on three main areas: regional paleontology, the estuarine life of the Patuxent River, and maritime history of Chesapeake Bay. The collections display fossils, river ecosystems, and historical vessels that represent the natural and cultural heritage of the coastal region.

The museum was founded in 1970 by five local residents including Daniel Barrett Jr. and Joseph C. Lore Jr. to preserve the maritime heritage of the Chesapeake region. It grew from a small initiative into a major archive documenting the region's seafaring and natural history.

The working boatyard displays traditional wooden boat construction methods that reflect the region's maritime heritage and craftsmanship. Visitors can watch builders using historical techniques that remain central to how local communities have worked with the water for generations.

The museum is located on Solomons Island and has wheelchair access throughout. Visitors should allow time for outdoor areas where the boatyard and otter habitats are active year-round, though milder weather makes exploration more comfortable.

The museum houses the Drum Point Lighthouse, a historic tower that stands right at the water's edge showing how navigational structures were positioned on Chesapeake Bay. Visitors can also see megalodon teeth from giant extinct sharks, revealing that this area was once an ocean millions of years ago.