History
Previously known as the Chicago Maritime Society in the 1980's, our business, originally located at navy pier, was removed and forced to find a new home. After living in storage for some time, the Chicago Maritime Society resurfaced (now known as the Chicago Maritime Museum) with the help from the famous architect, Dirk Lohan, and all those who were faithfully dedicated and actively involved in preserving Chicago's Maritime history and artifacts. The president of the Museum, Gerald Thomas, has been with the Maritime Society from the very beginning and has successfully found a new home for the museum in BridgePort at the Bridgeport Art Center, located on Bubbly Creek. The brand new Chicago Maritime Museum has been open to the public since June 4th of 2016.
Specialties
Located on the historical Bubbly Creek, the Chicago Maritime Museum is the only museum that tells the story of how Chicago was founded and shaped based solely by waterways. The first European explorers to settle on the land of what is now Chicago, Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, sparked the beginning age of Chicago becoming one of the busiest sea ports in this nation. The Museum features replicas of Schooner ships, such as the famous David Dows, artifacts uncovered from the Eastland Dissaster, the biggest fatal ship sinking in Chicago history, the famous Ralph Freese canoe collection, and so much more.