Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get to the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse?

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum offers tours of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse on Fridays and Saturdays each year between June and September.  For more information on booking, visit our lighthouse tours page or give us a call at 315-342-0480. 

Are your facilities handicap accessible?

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum's main facility has a chair-lift to our second-floor exhibit spaces.  Our vessels, as well as the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse, are not handicap accessible.  For questions or concerns relating to accessibility, we encourage you to give us a call at 315-342-0480.

What was your facility prior to becoming the Museum?

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego's main facility was the offices, quarters, workshop and powerhouse for the 1,000,000 bushel grain elevator located on the West First Street Pier.  Built in the 1920s to capitalize on grain shipments on the Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River commercial route, the elevator functioned until the 1990s and was demolished in 1998. 

Who was H. Lee White?

Born in 1912, H. Lee White attended Hamilton College and Cornell University and became a lawyer prior to entering the U.S. Navy during WWII.  Achieving the rank of Commander by the end of the war, he then returned to his law career while also entering into the shipping industry.  By the time of his early death in 1969, H. Lee White was at the head of the second largest fleet of commercial cargo vessels in the world.  For more on H. Lee White, come visit us!