The Marine Museum collects artifacts pertinent to the maritime history of the Great Lakes in general and the Oswego area of upstate New York in particular. Water color paintings by noted artist Frank Kraft, such as the one above, depict important stages of the early commercial development and military history of this important part of the country.

Other artifacts bring alive the history of the Oswego Canal, built as part of the Erie Canal in 1828 and later rebuilt as part of the Barge Canal system.

As the country grew during the 19th century and Great Lakes commerce flourished, iron and steel-hulled craft replaced wooden sailing vessels. The Museum displays a wide variety of items from that period, including the contents of a captain's cabin from an 1870's Great Lakes cargo ship. Note the candle and fireplace.

Great Lakes 1870's cargo ship captain's cabin.

Ornate cast iron and glass inkwell atop desk. Decorative fireplace detail.

	A section of iron chain, used in the 19th century aboard Great Lakes sailing vessels. The adult Museum docent's hand gives a sense of scale. Imagine the effort involved in hauling around a length of this chain!
Revolutionary War-era Hessian soldier.  This painting is part of a collection of finely detailed depictions of military men of the mid-18th century. Oswego and its Fort Ontario figured prominently in the frontier history of that period.
	19th century navigational instrument from the collection of Captain Karl Glerum, born in Oswego County in 1915. Captain Glerum sailed mostly in the Pacific and donated this set of maritime objects to his hometown.
Round-bottomed bottles were used during the 19th century aboard ships to allow their contents - sugar, powder, etc. - to move with the rocking motion of the boat and thus help prevent clotting.

The ship models pictured here are part of a large and unique collection of such items on exhibit at the Marine Museum - from 17th century birchbark canoes to 19th century sailing yachts and 20th century cargo carriers.

Made of steel, even the shutters, this mid-20th century signal lamp is a virtually indestructible artifact that is a Museum "Try me!" Because museums undertake to care for objects so that future generations will be able to see and study them, only a few such objects - generally reproductions of sturdy items like the signal lamp which are not yet rare - are displayed with an invitation to touch and try out.