style="font-size: larger;" | Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum

Founded	1986
Location	Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
Coordinates	30°23′35"N 88°51′31"W
Country
Executive Director	Robin David
Website

The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum (MSIM) was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history

Maritime history

Maritime history is the study of human activity at sea. It covers a broad thematic element of history that often uses a global approach, although national and regional histories remain predominant...

 and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Mississippi Gulf Coast

The Mississippi Gulf Coast refers to the three Mississippi counties which lie on the Gulf of Mexico: Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.The region was severely damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005....

. It accomplishes this mission through an array of exhibits on shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, managing marine resources, charter boats, marine blacksmithing, wooden boat building, net-making, catboats/Biloxi skiff, shrimp peeling machine and numerous historic photographs and objects. The Wade Guice Hurricane Museum within the museum, featuring 1400 square feet (130.1 m²) of exhibit space and a state of the art theatre. The Museum has brought life to local maritime history and heritage by replicating two 65' two masted Biloxi Schooners

In August 2005, the Museum was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

. The Executive Director, Board of Directors and City of Biloxi are working diligently to rebuild the museum.

Programs

The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum currently sponsors two programs annually, The Sea and Sail Adventure Camp and the Billy Creel Memorial Wooden Boat Show.

In the Sea and Sail Adventure Camp, children aged 8–13 are given experience of the history and heritage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast through sailing trips, fishing, maritime crafts, and seafood industry field trips.

The Billy Creel Memorial Wooden Boat Show presents the historic, antique, classic and contemporary wooden boats at the largest gathering of watercraft on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Schooners

The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum has recaptured a piece of history in their two famous schooner, the "Glenn L. Swetman" and the "Mike Sekul". For a truly unique way of enjoying the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Step on board an authentic replica of a Biloxi oyster schooner. These "White Winged Queens" once sailed the Coast from the late 1800s to the early 1900s; however the introduction of marine engines and the changes in oyster harvesting laws caused these beautiful crafts to disappear.

Schooner Pier Complex

Completed in June 2006, the Schooner Pier Complex provides a home for the two Biloxi Schooner replicas, Glenn L. Swetman and Mike Sekul. The pier has three pavilions, storage area for schooner parts, handicapped accessible rest room facilities and a second story observation deck. It also has a marine pump out station and an area for a future gift shop and office area for schooner business.

Rebuilding efforts

Plans are being made to rebuild the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum on the former site of the Tullis-Toledano Manor

Tullis-Toledano Manor

Tullis-Toledano Manor, also known as, the Toledano-Philbrick-Tullis House, was a red clay brick mansion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi. It was considered an example of Greek Revival architecture...

site, across the street from the Schooner Pier Complex.

External links

• Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum - official site