The Mariners' Museum and Park

The Mariners’ Museum and Park connects people to the world’s waters, because through the waters – through our shared maritime heritage – we are connected to one another.

We view ourselves as stewards of the shared maritime heritage that lives within our Museum’s art, artifact, and archival collection and of the ecosystem formed by the Park’s “Living Collection.” Within The Mariners’ Museum, paper conservators, object conservators, archaeological conservators, and a research scientist work daily to stabilize and preserve our Collection for generations to come. Researchers across our team continue to build the body of knowledge around our Collection with a particular focus on so-called “Hidden Histories” – uncovering the full and complete stories that include the contributions of all cultures to our shared maritime heritage.

Within The Mariners’ Park, our team similarly conserves our “Living Collection ”– the water, trees, and wildlife that comprise the Park. Water quality testing and management ensure that the stormwater that feeds The Mariners’ Lake is as clean as possible before passing into the James River. A forest management plan, created in partnership with the Virginia Department of Forestry, is focused initially on the removal of invasive trees and shrubs and the restoration of native tree species like longleaf and shortleaf pines, as well as a host of native hardwoods. Partnerships with entities such as the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS) facilitate research about the wildlife in the Park, like the VIMS striped bass survey.