Programs

The Maritime Museum offers a Historical Program Series in the winter months on Saturdays at 1:00pm.  Topics vary by year and speakers are brought in to present on Great Lakes History, Ohio History, and other topics. 
Museum staff also offer traveling programs for speaking presentations to groups of all sizes.

2019-20 Historical Program Series

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All programs start at 1:00pm and are included with admission to the

Maritime Museum of Sandusky. Programs are free to member

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09 Nov—Jeremy Angstadt:  Erie County Soldiers & Sailors of WWI: gone, but never forgotten!

23 Nov—Mary Singler:  Aye-Aye Captain! Biographies and salutes to local ship captains

07 Dec—Bob Adamov:  Catching Up with Emerson Moore in “Flight”

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14 Dec—Allison Powell:  A Civil War Christmas: Holidays in the Soldiers’ Camps

11 Jan—Eric Rivet:  “Thank God for the US Navy!” Destroyers on D-Day

25 Jan—Ellen Kennedy: Getting from A to B or B to D! Passenger Boats on the Lakes

08 Feb—Ron Davidson: The changing Land/Seascape of Sandusky’s Waterfront

22 Feb—Mary Groot:  Sandusky’s Underground Railroad Depots

14 Mar—John Hildebrandt:  Lake Erie Toboggans: the first waterparks on the Lake!

28 Mar—Lou Schultz:  The Ground Campaigns supported by Battle of Lake Erie

11 Apr—R.C. Durkee:  Rum Runners on Lake Erie: gangsters or good guys?

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25 Apr—Brian Shifflet:  Women of the Great Lakes: pioneers in their own right

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Traveling Programs Bureau

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All traveling programs are approx. 45 minutes in length. Museum staff have a portable screen, projector, and laptop if needed. Some programs have artifacts that travel with them. Traveling Programs are $75 and can be booked by calling the Maritime Museum @ 419-624-0274.

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• War of 1812: Battle of Lake Erie ~ Learn about how Oliver Perry and the American Fleet defeated British Naval Forces just west of Put-In-Bay

• Sandusky Maritime & the Underground Railroad ~ Prior to the Civil War, many escaping slaves traveled through Sandusky on their way to freedom. Hear stories of escape and learn about Sandusky abolitionists that aided fugitive slaves on their way to Canada.

• Johnson’s Island Confederate Prison ~ A prison built for Confederate officers, Johnson’s Island boasted the lowest mortality rate of all the prisons; both Union and Confederate. This program also discusses day-to-day life for prisoners and the uniqueness of their situation during the American Civil War.

• Ohio’s Wetlands ~ This program outlines the different ecosystems along Lake Erie and why they are important to the health of our great lake. Features a case study of the Great Black Swap.

• The G.A. Boeckling: Ferrying Passengers to Cedar Point ~ Travel back to Cedar Point in the early 1900s and learn the story of its beloved ferry boat the G.A. Boeckling.

• Lake Erie Shipwrecks: Part I ~ This program covers 7 wrecks found in the Western portion of Lake Erie along with one famous non-Lake Erie wreck.

• Harvesting Sandusky Bay (winter & summer) ~ Two major industries, ice harvesting and commercial fishing, and how they functioned over 100 years ago.

• Haunted Sandusky  (NEW) ~ The presentation version of our popular Haunted Sandusky Bay Walks; this program covers paranormal happenings, murders, and mysteries centered around downtown Sandusky. 

• Glaciers & the Great Lakes ~ The forming of the Inland Seas and their flora & fauna.

• The Christmas Tree Ship ~ The story of the famous ship, Rouse Simmons, who delivered Christmas Trees annually to Chicago. This program covers her owner’s impressive business and her tragic wreck