Sag Harbor Whaling Museum
Encyclopedia
Sag Harbor Whaling Museum is a museum in Sag Harbor, New York
, dedicated to the town's past as a prosperous whaling
port
. It houses the largest collection of whaling equipment in the state of New York
.
The building that now houses the museum was built in 1845 by prosperous merchant whaler Benjamin Huntting II at the height of the town's maritime prosperity. The house was designed by Minard Lafever
. It is an elaborate Greek revival
structure with a temple-front portico and fluted Corinthian columns. In an unusual homage to the source of Huntting's fortune, Lafever edged the roof line with a row of decorative crenelation in the form of alternating flensing
knives and blubber
spades. An enormous pair of whale
jawbones frame the front door. Inside, an elegant staircase spirals upward toward a domed skylight. The AIA Architectural Guide calls it "Long Island's finest example of high style Greek revival architecture." The house is "enormous in scale" compared to the usual American Greek Revival houses of the era, and the architect embellished it with some eclectic touches.
In 1907 the house was purchased by philanthropist Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
(Mrs. Russell Sage), who lived there in the summers until her death in 1918.
It then became a Masonic Temple
in 1920. In 1945 the lower floors were acquired by the whaling museum, though the upper floor is still owned and used by the Freemasons
. The building has been open to the public since 1945 as the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum.
carvings etched on whale ivory. In the Harpoon Room, harpoon
s line the walls along with whale vertebrae and shipbuilding
tools. Elsewhere are paintings of 19th-century whale hunts.
The museum owns the entire building, allowing the Masonic Lodge to meet upstairs.
Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, with parts in both the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census....
, dedicated to the town's past as a prosperous whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
. It houses the largest collection of whaling equipment in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Building
Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever was an influential American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.-Life and career:...
. It is an elaborate Greek revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
structure with a temple-front portico and fluted Corinthian columns. In an unusual homage to the source of Huntting's fortune, Lafever edged the roof line with a row of decorative crenelation in the form of alternating flensing
Flensing
Flensing is the removing of the outer integument of whales. English whalemen called it "flenching", while American whalemen called it "cutting-in".-Open-boat:-Shore and Bay whaling:...
knives and blubber
Blubber
Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.-Description:Lipid-rich, collagen fiber–laced blubber comprises the hypodermis and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature...
spades. An enormous pair of whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
jawbones frame the front door. Inside, an elegant staircase spirals upward toward a domed skylight. The AIA Architectural Guide calls it "Long Island's finest example of high style Greek revival architecture." The house is "enormous in scale" compared to the usual American Greek Revival houses of the era, and the architect embellished it with some eclectic touches.
In 1907 the house was purchased by philanthropist Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage was an American philanthropist. Upon the death of her husband Russell Sage she received a fortune estimated at more than $50,000,000, to be used as she saw fit...
(Mrs. Russell Sage), who lived there in the summers until her death in 1918.
It then became a Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple
Masonic Temple is a term commonly used in Freemasonry with multiple but related meanings. It is used to describe an abstract spiritual goal, the conceptual ritualistic space formed when a Masonic Lodge meets, and the physical rooms and structures in which a Lodge meets...
in 1920. In 1945 the lower floors were acquired by the whaling museum, though the upper floor is still owned and used by the Freemasons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. The building has been open to the public since 1945 as the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum.
Whaling museum
The museum is filled with the equipment of the whaling ships: guns, try pots, flensing knives, blubber spades, figureheads, and a large collection of scrimshawScrimshaw
Scrimshaw is the name given to handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses...
carvings etched on whale ivory. In the Harpoon Room, harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
s line the walls along with whale vertebrae and shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
tools. Elsewhere are paintings of 19th-century whale hunts.
The museum owns the entire building, allowing the Masonic Lodge to meet upstairs.