Embrace the history, environment, and culture of the region

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum & Hooper Strait Lighthouse

CBMM’s 18-acre waterfront campus was once the site of a busy complex of workboats, docks, and seafood packing houses. As seafood industries began closing on Navy Point, land was acquired from the former Coulbourne & Jewett crab and oyster packing house in 1966. By the end of that year, the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, which had been threatened by demolition, was purchased from the demolition contractor for $1000 and moved to the newly acquired parcel. It opened to the public the following May.

New, purpose-built exhibition buildings were added, along with several small historic structures, most notably Mitchell House, former home to Eliza Bailey Mitchell, the sister of Frederick Douglass.

Today, the CBMM campus boasts over 35 buildings, 12 of which house exhibitions that are open to the public. The exhibition buildings trace the social, economic, and geological history of the Chesapeake Bay through the age of sail and the steamboat era to the advent of gasoline and diesel-powered engines. Guests can view more than 100 boats and boat models, historical Bay artifacts, and artworks that include a vast collection of watercolors, decoys, guns, and ship’s signboards.

The Norman & Ellen Plummer Center for Museum Collections and Howard I. Chapelle Library houses an extensive collection of Chesapeake resources and archival materials, while CBMM’s collection of Chesapeake Bay watercraft—the largest in existence—numbers about 85 vessels. The collection’s largest vessels are on display in CBMM’s floating fleet.

A robust series of tours and educational programs engages preschoolers to adults in innovative ways to experience the history and culture of the Chesapeake Bay region. In CBMM’s working Shipyard, guests can learn about and view the restoration of historic craft, take part in hands-on programming, and observe significant construction projects.