Penobscot Marine Museum

Penobscot Marine Museum PMM inspires curiosity and fosters understanding about life and work on the Maine coast!

Penobscot Marine Museum brings Maine’s maritime history to life on a campus of beautiful historic buildings in the charming seacoast village of Searsport, Maine. Exhibits throughout the campus tell unique stories of ship captains and their families, the industries of Penobscot Bay, global maritime trade, and today’s fisheries. The Museum also develops changing seasonal and traveling exhibits and conducts educational outreach throughout Maine. The Museum has over 300,000 historic photographs, an extensive collection of maritime artifacts and archives, and a maritime history research library.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help spread the word about SardineFest! We’ve found hosts for all of ou...
09/06/2026

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help spread the word about SardineFest! We’ve found hosts for all of our lawn signs. We really appreciate everyone who is helping us get the word out!

PMM is looking for households and businesses in well-traveled locations who would be willing to display a SardineFest yard sign. It’s an easy way to help us get the word out about this free community celebration!

If you can help, please message us with your email address or email us directly at [email protected], and we’ll arrange to get a sign to you.

SardineFest 2026 is Saturday, October 3, in downtown Searsport. This free, all-day celebration highlights Maine’s rich sardine industry history with demonstrations, activities, food, and more.

SardineFest is generously presented by Hamilton Marine, with support from First National Bank and Sprague Operating Resources LLC.

Thanks for helping us spread the word!

The Savage Education Center is full of fun, hands-on things to do including a pretend ship’s chandlery. Check out this n...
09/04/2026

The Savage Education Center is full of fun, hands-on things to do including a pretend ship’s chandlery. Check out this neat sketch drawn by one of our visitors in the chandlery ledger.

As fall approaches, the formality of school crowds the minds of students. For some, it’s an exciting threshold; for othe...
09/03/2026

As fall approaches, the formality of school crowds the minds of students. For some, it’s an exciting threshold; for others, the Sunday Scaries are back. Curriculum, setting, clothing styles, and culture vary and have transformed over time, but there’s always the central fact of learning what we don’t know. Our photo archives colorfully illustrate a variety of educational settings over the past 125 years.

-Photography students develop prints at the Central School for Commercial Photography in Manhattan., NY, 1944; Kosti Ruohomaa Collection
-Edit from a postcard photo: "High School, Sedgwick, ME". A small schoolhouse with students and teachers sitting and standing on the steps in front. The high school opened in 1914. This building is now a private residence. 1918; Catharine Sargent Marston Collection
-Possibly the one room schoolhouse and pupils on Petit Manan Island, c. 1900. In the 21st century, small island and other remote schools struggle to maintain enrollment. Milbridge Historical Society Collection
-Athletics is a key activity at school, balancing training for the brain with training for the body. Here, two wrestlers grapple at Mount View High School, Thorndike, Dec 16, 1993; Peggy McKenna Collection
-Doris MacDougal coaches a young student through her mathematics drills, Rockland, ME, 1951; Kosti Ruohomaa Collection
-In a one room school, students of mixed ages regard the photographer. Outside, you can just make out the snow on the trees. c. 1895, Sedgwick, ME; Sedgwick Brooklin Collection
-Students at the Rockport Apprenticeshop orchestrate the launch of the 38’ Bantry Bay gig they built, Rockport, ME, Jan 25, 1986; Red Boutilier Collection
-A young woman practices weaving at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Montville, ME, July 30, 1951; Berry Collection

Visit our mobile "Sardineland" booth at the Camden Windjammer Festival this Friday and Saturday. You can try your hand a...
09/02/2026

Visit our mobile "Sardineland" booth at the Camden Windjammer Festival this Friday and Saturday. You can try your hand at cutting and packing our (plastic) sardines, take your photo as a sardine cannery worker, share your sardine-related memories, and find out more about Penobscot Marine Museum.

Shipbuilders “dub” or shave off rough spots on the wooden planking to create a smooth surface for optimal hydrodynamic p...
09/01/2026

Shipbuilders “dub” or shave off rough spots on the wooden planking to create a smooth surface for optimal hydrodynamic performance. Samuel F. Manning Illustration Collection, LB2016.25.1465

A belated THANK YOU to Schooner Charm for taking our interns on a sail on Penobscot Bay after the By Land or By Sea eve...
08/28/2026

A belated THANK YOU to Schooner Charm for taking our interns on a sail on Penobscot Bay after the By Land or By Sea event with the Belfast Free Library. Izzy, Emily, and Matt had a great time! 5 stars. Highly recommend.

Address

40 E. Main Street
Searsport, ME
04974

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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