SHIPS OF THE SEA MARITIME MUSEUM

A THIRST FOR LEARNING: THE HISTORY OF THE WEST BROAD STREET SCHOOL, 1873-1962

Ships of the Sea Museum presents an online exhibit featuring the West Broad Street School: one of the oldest city-supported schools for black students in Savannah. "A Thirst for Learning" chronicles the history of the William Scarbrough House as the West Broad Street School through text, vintage photographs, and video interviews with former students.

BATTLE VOICES: SALERNO, ITALY, 1943

On the morning of September 11, 1943, the USS Savannah (CL-42) was struck by a German radio-controlled Fritz X glide-bomb at the Battle of Salerno, Italy. The explosion resulted in a gaping hole in Savannah's keel and more than 200 causalities.  For the next seven hours Savannah's crew fought arduously to seal off the flooded and burned compartments, correct her list, and recover and rescue fellow crew members.

"Battle Voices" is an account of the punishing occurrences onboard ship during the Battle of Salerno, Italy. Stories from various crew members have been woven within the ship's log to provide first-hand reports of the harrowing events at the time they actually occurred. The juxtaposition of human struggle with the fact-based data of the ship's log is an attempt to provide an all-inclusive view of this historic event.

O MY AIKEN LOWRY - A LITERARY CABERET

On November 8, 2014, the Feral Scholars presented an original multi-media performance piece at the Museum entitled "O My Aiken Lowry - a Literary Cabaret," which explored the lives, works and relationship between Savannah native and Pulitzer Prize winning poet Conrad Aiken and his protege Malcolm Lowry, author of Under the Volcano.

The performance features live and recorded music, readings, comedy, masks and some rather peculiar props. Attention is paid to Aiken's Savannah roots, the oceanic link between Savannah and Liverpool (the birthplace of Lowry), and the importance of the sea and maritime imagery to both writers.

This online exhibition includes not only a six-part video of the entire performance, but an extensive program including a bibliography and a description of the props used in the piece. The section entitled "The Cabaret" gives summaries of the topics covered in each of the six videos.

MAKING WAVES: A COLLECTIVE PERSPECTIVE ON THE POLLUTION OF OUR WATERWAYS

 In an attempt to address the effects of water pollution, Ships of the Sea and twelve Savannah artists joined together to create the exhibit "Making Waves."

Through the use of artistic works depicting the damaging consequences of water pollution we hope to encourage individuals to make small changes which will have a large impact on the health of our local and global waterways. The online exhibit also includes relevant information, resources, and solutions for the residents of this area.   

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Image: Watercourse, by Henry Dean

THE SHADOWS OF SCARBROUGH HOUSE: MATERIALIZING THE DANGEROUS WOMEN WHO LIVED & RULED HERE

 For 200 years the commanding mansion designed by William Jay on Savannah's "Court End" has been held as the "William Scarbrough House" when it was actually owned and operated by two Scarbrough women, Julia Scarbrough (William's wife), and Charlotte Scarbrough Taylor (their eldest daughter). Mother and daughter were both intelligent and strong-willed - two qualities not necessarily appreciated in the fairer sex of the 19th century. Given their departures from the 19th century's socially accepted gender role for women in the South, they were often portrayed by their male contemporaries in a one-dimensional fashion - of little substance or depth, but dangerous. 

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