Ready to explore Chicago’s maritime past? Our destination is the Chicago Maritime Museum. This museum preserves Chicago’s rich maritime history. It is at 1200 West 35th Street.
The Chicago Maritime Museum opened in June 2016. But its roots go back further. The Chicago Maritime Society began collecting maritime artifacts in 1982. They even ran a temporary museum at North Pier Terminal. Over time their collection grew. It includes more than 6000 items. The museum found a permanent home on Chicago’s South Side in the early 2000s.
The Chicago Maritime Museum sits near Bubbly Creek. This location inspires a broad view of Chicago’s maritime heritage. The museum celebrates Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. It also honors Lake Calumet. The museum even includes Chicago’s beaches and deep tunnels in its scope.
Why is maritime history so important to Chicago? Lake Michigan and the Chicago River were key to Chicago’s growth. They helped it become a world-class city. In 1818, Congress gave lake frontage to Illinois. This showed the importance of this link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi.
Chicago’s maritime history peaked in the “Golden Age” of steamboats. These boats carried passengers and freight. Canal boats traveled the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This canal connected Chicago to the Illinois River and the Mississippi. In 1872, Chicago’s ship-docking operations were the busiest in the United States.
The Chicago Maritime Museum recognizes the Irish American canal diggers. They were essential to the city’s maritime history.
Recently, the Chicago Maritime Museum displayed paintings by James Bolivar Needham. Needham found beauty in the Chicago River. He painted it even when it was polluted. The museum acquired these paintings in December. They came from the Philip R. May Collection.
Madeline Crispell is the Chicago Maritime Museum curator. She identified Needham as the artist. Needham was a Black painter. He was also a sailor. Crispell was drawn to his paintings. She said they were unlike any other Chicago River art she had seen.
Needham was born in Canada. He became a deckhand at 14. Later he moved to Chicago. He painted the river on shipping crate canvas. Crispell hopes the exhibit makes people think about the waterways. She wants them to consider how much water has shaped Chicago.
The Chicago Maritime Museum is more than a collection of artifacts. It is a tribute to Chicago’s past. It highlights the importance of water in shaping the city. As you leave reflect on the rivers, canals and lake. Consider their role in Chicago’s story.