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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
The Hollinshead, Cox, and Fleischner Galleries
Clifford: Our Big Red Dog
Clifford the Big Red Dog has been delighting readers for over 60 years. This exhibit invites children and adults alike to play, explore, and learn about Clifford and the man who brought him to life, Norman Bridwell, who called the Vineyard home for over four decades.
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The Grain Family Gallery
Percy E. Cowen: My Own Dearest Jane
Percy Cowen was an accomplished illustrator when he was sent overseas to serve in World War I. While at war, he wrote to his wife, Jane, at home on Martha’s Vineyard. Passed by the censors, but still illuminating, these letters were filled with drawings of Percy’s experiences. This exhibition features Cowen's correspondence, as well as his paintings and original illustrations for popular magazines of the day.
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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 The exhibition features ship models, memorabilia, reproductions of historical documents and photographs, and a timeline that traces the history of ferry service to the Island from the 1700s to today.
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
Ferries and Steamers: The Golden Age of Steam, 1900-1945
This four-part lecture series by MVM Research Librarian Bow Van Riper traces the story of Vineyard ferries from the early 1700s to the present day: from sail to steam to diesel, by way of storms, shipwrecks, and strikes. Join us for a deep dive into the history behind the ‘Ferry Tales’ exhibit.
Vineyard Voices of Land and Sea with Linsey Lee
Join us for an illuminating evening with Linsey Lee, MVM’s Oral History Curator. Linsey will present a selection of captivating oral history clips and videos from the Museum’s extensive archives, focused on conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability on Martha’s Vineyard. This event offers a unique opportunity to explore the Island’s rich history of environmental stewardship and commitment to preserving its natural beauty through the voices of its own people.
Stories from the Gay Head Light with Richard Skidmore
Join us for an enlightening evening with Richard Skidmore, the former keeper of Gay Head Light, as he shares captivating stories and insights from his 31 years of guardianship over this historic beacon. Richard will discuss the history of the Light and its iconic fresnel lens, both of which he’s written on extensively. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the mystique of one of our Island’s most cherished landmarks!
Ferries and Steamers: The Islander and the Authority, 1945-1973
This four-part lecture series by MVM Research Librarian Bow Van Riper traces the story of Vineyard ferries from the early 1700s to the present day: from sail to steam to diesel, by way of storms, shipwrecks, and strikes. Join us for a deep dive into the history behind the ‘Ferry Tales’ exhibit.
In Conversation with the Jaywalkers’ Jessie Leaman and Barbara Puciul
Join us for a conversation with Island musicians Jessie Leaman and Barbara Puciul. Barbara and Jessie will delve into aspects of the Island music scene, share their Vineyard origin stories, explore the winding road of their life in music, and discuss pieces of their personal Island history.
Grease and Grit: A Female Mechanic’s Tale of Resilience
Join mechanic Andrea Dello Russo to explore how she persevered to do her job in a man’s world, with a woman’s touch. In addition to being a mechanic, Andrea is a mother, educator, motorcycle rider, and business owner who will share her automotive journey from being an uneducated female car owner to owning and running a successful auto repair shop.
Ferries and Steamers: From Nantucket to Now, 1974-2024
This four-part lecture series by MVM Research Librarian Bow Van Riper traces the story of Vineyard ferries from the early 1700s to the present day: from sail to steam to diesel, by way of storms, shipwrecks, and strikes. Join us for a deep dive into the history behind the ‘Ferry Tales’ exhibit.
New Moon Naked Eye Stargazing
Join us on the Lewis Lawn for naked eye stargazing with Mark Alan Lovewell. Mark is an expert guide who will point out constellations and share the legends and lore of the cosmos. Spend the evening gazing upon the stars from the Museum’s beautiful lawn.
It Sounds So Sweet – The Sequel: Folk Music on Martha’s Vineyard in 1964 and 1965
Building on his highly successful presentation from last summer, which covered the early folk music scene on the Vineyard, Doug Thompson will dive into new information on the peak years of 1964 and 1965. During these years, folk music flourished at not one but three coffee houses on Island. Join us to learn about this transformative period in American musical and social history. Doug will share and discuss an extensive array of photographs, memorabilia, and snippets of recorded music to bring alive the events, the venues, and the musicians – both local and imported – who created the magic of “The Great Folk Scare” on Martha’s Vineyard.
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.
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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
