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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
The Saltzman Cabinet of Curiosities
Ferry Tales
In this exhibit, learn about the ferries that have gotten us here — from Abraham Chase’s sail ferry in the 18th century, to the elegance and grandeur of the White Fleet of propeller steamers of the 1920s, to the much beloved Islander which served the Vineyard for over 50 years. The exhibition features ship models, memorabilia, reproductions of historical documents and photographs, and a timeline that traces the history of ferry service to the Island from the 1700s to today.
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The Adele H. Waggaman Community Gallery
Generations
A Legacy of Art and Culture
Centered around an extraordinary wampum belt made by Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal elder Donald Widdiss, this exhibition explores three generations of Widdiss family artists. Featuring wampum art, pottery, personal stories, and more, we invite visitors to reflect on the broader themes of tradition, artistry, and cultural identity.
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The Hollinshead, Cox, and Fleischner Galleries
Human/Nature: Art and Conservation on Martha’s Vineyard
This exhibition invites visitors to explore the Island's sacred and protected open spaces, each with its own unique story to tell. Through the work of Island artists, visitors will be immersed in these landscapes and their histories, providing a deeper understanding of the Island’s natural environment and the ongoing efforts to safeguard it.
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The Grain Family Gallery
The Secret Life of Seaweed
This immersive exhibition dives deep into the ways in which seaweed has played an important role in Vineyard life for centuries. From farming to cuisine, art to conservation, explore the history and future of these enigmatic organisms!
READ MORECOLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
Woven Bag
Contemporary Wampanoag artists and artisans help us picture the world of their ancestors, the first inhabitants of this Island, by making objects using old and new materials while drawing on old and new techniques.
Mary Norton Sampler
Mary H. Norton made this sampler in Holmes Hole (now Vineyard Haven) when she was around 12 years old.
Jagging Wheel
Though most familiar in the form of whales’ teeth carved with pictures of ships, scrimshaw was an extremely varied art.
Chappy
Mary Drake Coles learned to paint during childhood summers on Martha’s Vineyard, in her teens in Provincetown, and later at Smith College, in Paris, Majorca, Haiti, and New York.
Zeb Tilton Portrait
Benton found inspiration on Martha’s Vineyard from his first visits to the Island in the 1920s until his death in 1975.
Dancing Dolls (Brinquinho)
Mary Paiva Drouin, the daughter of a first-generation Portuguese immigrant family, recalls how her family’s cherished “dancing dolls” in traditional Portuguese dress were paraded through the streets of Oak Bluffs during the Holy Ghost Festival.
Brickman’s Shirt
One of the earliest Jewish families to settle here, the Brickmans operated a shoe business on Main Street in Vineyard Haven that became Brickman’s department store.
Dial Telephone Service Comes to Aquinnah
This photograph, staged in May 1955 to celebrate the introduction of dial telephone service in Chilmark and Gay Head, captures the tension between tradition and modernity.
Gislaine Portrait
In 2017, the Museum exhibited photographer Mila Lowe’s “Local Immigrants Project.” Lowe undertook the project to document the wide diversity of recent immigrants to the Island.
Luce Dressing Box
Captain Richard G. Luce presented this box to his daughter, Abbie Bradford Luce, upon returning from one of his many long voyages.
Life Preserver
Life preserver from the City of Columbus, which crashed on the underwater rocks of Devil’s Bridge in January 1884 when a gash was torn in the hull and seawater rushed into the steamer.
Priscilla Pearl Necklaces
Manufactured in Hyannis at the Priscilla Laboratory, these glass and herring scale “pearls” were named “Priscilla Pearls” and sold around the country through mail order and at Lina Call’s Priscilla Pearl Shop in Edgartown.
Violin
Owned by E. Gale Huntington, this violin was possibly carried around Cape Horn on a voyage by Menemsha fisherman Lyman Cottle.
Monohansett
Monohansett (1862), depicted in this painting by J. P. Winegar, was the first reliable steam ferry to serve Martha’s Vineyard.
Fall River Line Advertisement
Palatial “night boats” like Plymouth connected New York and Martha’s Vineyard.
“Enchanted Isle” Poster
This 1934 travel poster promoted the Vineyard as a playground of the rich and stylish.
Islander
Islander, which operated from 1950-2007, revolutionized ferry service to the Vineyard.
Island Queen Advertisement
Summer “excursion boats” like the Island Queen carried day tourists to Oak Bluffs.
Provincetown-Boston Airlines Timetable
Provincetown-Boston Airline was the Island’s leading air carrier for 40 years.
Islander and Island Home
Islander (1950) passes her successor Island Home (2007) in Vineyard Haven Harbor.
Satinet Sample
Hard-wearing satinet cloth: the West Tisbury woolen mill’s signature product.
Vanderhoops at Aquinnah Circle
Harrison and Selina Vanderhoop selling Wampanoag crafts at Aquinnah Circle.
King’s Paint Mill
Clay pigments from King’s Paint Mill in Chilmark tinted the houses of southern New England.
Bricks on Pier
The signature product of the Roaring Brook brickyard awaits shipment to the mainland.
Erford Burt Bass Boat
One of Erford Burt’s signature “bass boats” in the basin at Burt’s Boatyard on the Lagoon.
Model of the SS Drottingholm
Van Ryper offered its customers affordable “models of ships on which you’ve sailed.”
Dairy Cooperative Bottle
Martha’s Vineyard Cooperative Dairy helped the Island’s small farmers, but could not compete with mainland producers.
Chilmark Chocolates Sign
Chilmark Chocolates was known for its delicious product, and its community spirit.
Black Dog Catalog
The Black Dog began as a year-round restaurant, but became a lifestyle brand.
Harpoon
The ancestors of the Wampanoag people who live here now fished using harpoons such as this one, which was found along the shore in Aquinnah.
Joseph Belain Portrait
Over the course of 20 whaling voyages, Aquinnah-born Joseph Belain (1848-1926), served as harpooner, second mate, first mate, and twice as a replacement master.
Whale and Porpoise Oil Samples
Beginning in the mid-19th century and ending in the 1940s, William F. Nye Company of New Bedford refined and processed whale and porpoise oil for various purposes.
Nomansland Codfish Box
Salted and dried cod was sold to Fischer Brothers of Vineyard Haven, who packaged it in wooden boxes like this one and sold it locally as well as shipping it to New Bedford and Providence.
Eel Pot
Before the 20th century, eels were caught and eaten in great numbers by islanders, who captured them in the fall and winter using pots like this one.
Menemsha Swordfishing Fleet
Equipped by a tall mast for lookouts and a long narrow platform for the harpooner jutting out from the bow, “Sword boats” supplied a market in which swordfish was seen as a delicacy.
“Dorothy and Everett” Weathervane
Using the vessels he knew as inspiration, local fisherman Jimmy Morgan made weathervanes and sold them in his small shop in Menemsha to supplement his income.
Photograph of Fishermen
Fishermen could once make a good living selling the fish they caught in net traps along the northwest shore of the Vineyard.
Chart of Holmes Hole
This view of Holmes Hole (now Vineyard Haven) harbor in 1781 looks familiar at first glance, but a closer look reveals unfamiliar features.
The Harbor of Holmes Hole
Twelve years before this chart was drawn in 1847, the citizens of Holmes Hole blocked Bass Creek with a worn-out schooner filled with rocks, making way for Water Street and Union Wharf.
Martha’s Vineyard Railroad Train on the Beach
The Martha’s Vineyard Railroad operated from 1872 to 1896, carrying passengers from the Oak Bluffs steamer wharf to the outskirts of Edgartown, then to Katama.
1938 Beach Road Flooding
This photograph, looking down Beach Road toward Five Corners, was taken during the 1938 Hurricane.
Bathhouse Debris on Oak Bluffs Steamer Wharf
Bathhouses were a fixture of Oak Bluffs — a monument to the social customs of a bygone era — until September 1944, when the Great Atlantic Hurricane struck the Island.
Bunker on South Beach
This concrete structure, used to train World War II naval aviators, originally stood in the dunes behind the beach; by the late 1960s or early 1970s, it stood at the water’s edge.
Moving the Gay Head Light
The brick tower of the current Gay Head Light was built in 1856, and by the early twenty-first century, erosion had left it dangerously close to the edge of the cliffs.
EVENTS
Rails Across the Vineyard
Join us on Thursday, November 7th, for a fascinating journey into the Vineyard’s forgotten transportation history. Discover the steam train that once ran along State Beach, connecting Oak Bluffs to Katama, and the trolleys that clattered through Oak Bluffs and along the Lagoon’s edge. Learn about a never-built electric railway that was meant to link Vineyard Haven to Gay Head. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a golden age for public transit on the Vineyard—but how do these historic railways connect to today’s VTA? Find out in this expanded version of Salt Spray on the Rails, presented by MVM Research Librarian Bow Van Riper. Whether you missed last spring’s talk or want to dive deeper, this program offers new insights into an often-overlooked chapter of the Island’s past.
The Derby Debrief with John Custer
Each year the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby attracts fisher folk from across the Island and beyond, not only for the fishing but also for the camaraderie and tradition of this storied event. Now that this year’s Derby has concluded, join us for a discussion with Derby President John Custer and longtime Derby volunteer Amy Coffey. Learn about the history of the Derby and hear fish tales with local fisher folk.
Storytime at the Museum
Storytime is back! Eloise “Weezie” Welz and MV Museum Educators will lead an exciting storytime experience in Hands-On History. Join us to listen, learn, and have fun, each Saturday morning in November.
Saving Wild Places: Wilderness Conservation
Join MVM research librarian Bow Van Riper for a history of wilderness conservation on the Vineyard, and its resonance with the national environmental movement.
Trans(formation)
This talk may inspire how we live. Join us for an experience with Photographer Julia Cumes is passionate about storytelling and capturing real moments of human connection as well as expressive portraits. She will feature a selection of photos from her latest exhibition called Trans(formation) exploring gender identity. This 2024 Artist of the Year Award recipient from the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod has a lot to convey through her art and this will be a rare opportunity to see it. Research Librarian, Bow Van Riper will open with information about how you can help MVM expand our LGBTQ+ archives.
Storytime at the Museum
Storytime is back! Eloise “Weezie” Welz and MV Museum Educators will lead an exciting storytime experience in Hands-On History. Join us to listen, learn, and have fun, each Saturday morning in November.
Living in Place and Looking for the Magic
Julianne Vanderhoop is a Wampanoag tribal elder, on the selectboard for the town of Aquinnah, founder of Orange Peel Bakery, and mother of two. During this talk she will share her enduring feelings about the history of Martha’s Vineyard. She has been on a journey, accomplishing many things on her territorial homeland, and clarifying certain truths. Questions, thoughts and meditations over her baking table for 18 years have called her to deliver a message she feels has meaning for all people in these trying times. Juli invites us to talk about the importance of where we are and how we can maintain a positive connection to our place in face of great challenges.
Michael Blanchard’s Photographs That Speak: Stories of Recovery and Connection
Michael Blanchard’s Photographs That Speak: Stories of Recovery and Connection describes the transformative power of photography in the journey of healing from addiction and mental health struggles. Through photographs, Michael Blanchard will share personal narratives that reveal how capturing moments on Martha’s Vineyard not only provided a pathway to sobriety but also fostered deep connections with others. Each image serves as a testament to resilience, inviting the audience to reflect on their own experiences, and the profound stories that emerge through the art of photography. Join us as we delve into the intersection of art, healing, and human connection.
The Martha’s Vineyard Murders Series with Raemi Ray
Join us for an exciting evening with Raemi Ray, author of the Martha’s Vineyard Murder series. Inspired by summers in Edgartown and her travels around the world, Raemi’s novels blend the charm of island life with gripping, suspense-filled stories. Her work draws from real-life events, weaving local and national headlines into thrilling narratives. The first three books in the six-part series will be available for purchase in the Museum Shop, with an opportunity to have them signed. Don’t miss this chance to meet the author, hear insights about her creative process, and immerse yourself in the intrigue of her captivating tales.
Storytime at the Museum
Storytime is back! Eloise “Weezie” Welz and MV Museum Educators will lead an exciting storytime experience in Hands-On History. Join us to listen, learn, and have fun, each Saturday morning in November.
Storytime at the Museum
Storytime is back! Eloise “Weezie” Welz and MV Museum Educators will lead an exciting storytime experience in Hands-On History. Join us to listen, learn, and have fun, each Saturday morning in November.
VISIT OUR CAMPUS
With an exciting slate of exhibits, guest speakers, and community events, there’s always something new to discover at MVM.
OPEN 10 – 4
TUESDAY – SUNDAY
YEAR-ROUND
100,000+
ITEMS IN
OUR COLLECTION
Explore maps, manuscripts, objects, photos, oral histories, and much more.
2,500
FEET FROM THE
FERRY DOCK
Our Vineyard Haven campus is just a 10-minute walk from the Steamship Authority terminal.
100
YEARS OF SERVING THE ISLAND COMMUNITY
We are committed to collecting, preserving, and sharing all facets of the Island’s story, from the familiar to the untold.
LEARN
We provide thought-provoking and engaging learning experiences for students of all ages.
RESEARCH
We bring the Island’s history and culture to life through research and resources that encourage curiosity and compassion.
SUPPORT & DONATE
Your support empowers us to continue inspiring, educating, and strengthening our community.
“We believe in the mission and vision of the MV Museum. We want our grandchildren to love and appreciate this Island’s history, art, and culture as much as we do, so it is very important to us that the Museum continues to grow and thrive!”
BARBARA COUCH
