Santa Barbara Maritime Museum: Council of American Maritime Museums Profile

摘要

Although the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum opened its doors just four years ago, it embraces a maritime history thousands of years old. The rich heritage of California's Central Coast is reflected in exhibits spanning the ancient Chumash culture to today. The museum is housed in a grand white structure at the southwest corner of Santa Barbara Harbor, and the building itself has unique historic significance. In 1942 the City of Santa Barbara sold the building to the US Navy for just $1.00, to support the new war effort. Nearly fifty years later the city bought back the building, which had served as the Naval Reserve Center, granting the museum's founders the right to establish the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The foundation of the museum was laid, figuratively speaking, in 1994, when one dozen "old salts and stalwarts" drafted the concept. "The Santa Barbara coast has a rich maritime history," noted Clyde Kirkpatrick, founder of the Maritime Society of Santa Barbara. "It is a natural outgrowth for our community to have a maritime museum, given Santa Barbara's long-time and ongoing relationship with the sea."