PATH II: Maritime History

In PATH II, which was held during the spring of 2001, we decided to focus on maritime documents, since Beverly is in an area rich in maritime history.  We noticed that there seemed to be, at least at first glance, very little written about the importance of the sea to the history of our area.  Much has been made of the debate between Beverly and Marblehead over which town is the birthpace of the American Navy.  Yet what else was there to discover about maritime history?  This time our theme was broader, which gave students freedom to research in paths of their own choosing.  Our group path lead through the following museums and libraries:

the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, for privateering documents;

the Massachusetts Historical Society to analyze ship manifests;

the Kendall Whaling Museum (which has since become part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum) in Sharon, to learn about documents related to whaling history.