About The Marine Museum
Port Burwell Marine Museum
Located at the mouth of the Big Otter Creek on Lake Erie, the Marine Museum reflects upon the era when Port Burwell was at the height of its fame as a shipbuilding community. The Big Otter Creek has been a major factor in the history of this port. The timber boom also led to a thriving ship building industry. Seventy-one sailing ships are recorded to have been built at Port Burwell during the 19th century.
The arrival of the railroad around 1900 increased the importance of the harbour for the shipping of coal from Pennsylvania. Present in the museum collection is the most accurate model ever built of the rail car ferry the Ashtabula, which made routine trips between Port Burwell and Ashtabula, Ohio for the purposes of transporting coal. This ship was a mainstay of the Port Burwell shipping experience until the 1950s and played an intricate role in the development of Southern Ontario through its supply of coal energy.
The museum's collection includes original Fresnel lenses, finely detailed model ships and a vast assortment of tools, photographs, and artifacts dating from the 19th century. The majority of the artifacts on display in the Marine Museum were acquired through the efforts of the Port Burwell Historical Society.
Service and Secrets: Organizations that help their Communities
Each year the Marine Museum creates a temporary exhibit based on current issues. The showcase exhibit for the 2024 season is,
"Service and Secrets: Organizations that help their Communities "
What goes on behind closed doors? The Port Burwell Marine Museum takes a peek at some of the well-known and the local service groups that are in our community and working to make it better.
On display is the Masonic Apron of Colonel Mahlon Burwell and Ralph Hurley's Knights of Pythias kit from our collection, numerous items borrowed from the Aylmer-Malahide Museum and Archives, and an introduction to the history of how and why these groups began, as well as the work they continue to do to this day.
Children's Program
Children's programming is offered each summer by the Marine Museum for a period of six (6) weeks in July and August.
Last year's program was a great success - here's the lineup for 2024.
Canada Day 2024
The George Barnes Wheelhouse
During the Port Burwell Canada Day Festivities, the Marine Museum offers children's activities for our younger patrons.
In 2023, the children made a wind sock based on the vintage Harvard aircraft that conduct the flyover highlight of the day.
On Monday, July 1st 2024 the Museum hosted a "BEE There or BEE Square" activity that include a demonstration from the folks at Forest Edge Apiary and Apothecary about Canada’s busiest insects.
Then our younger patrons were able to make themselves a friendly little bee of their very own.
The George Barnes Wheelhouse
The George Barnes Wheelhouse
The George Barnes Memorial Wheelhouse (SS Fernglen) is in place at the Marine Museum. The Port Burwell Historical Society (PBHS) acquired the Wheelhouse in 2019 and placed it at the Museum for refurbishing and restoration
The PBHS has been given Municipal approvals to resurrect the restoration project. We engaged Eximius Engineering to conduct a structural review.
The goal for 2025 is to have the structure upgraded to reflect the drawings prepared by Eximius Engineering, repair any issues with the artifact's envelope, install the electrical wiring, spray-foam the interior and open the Aft for use by the Museum, the Historical Society and the Community at large.
The Wheelhouse is available for viewing from the exterior only at this time.
Lighthouse Lenses
The Marine Museum has an extensive and impressive collection of lighthouse lenses.
The most prominent of the collection are the Fresnel lenses.
The Fresnel lens has been called "the invention that saved a million ships".
In addition, the Museum's collection includes extraordinary examples of Beehive Lens, Crouse-Hinds Rotating Beacon, Bull's Eye Lens and Box Lens,
The Ashtabula
Present in the Marine Museum's collection is the most accurate model ever built of the rail car ferry the Ashtabula, which made routine trips between Port Burwell and Ashtabula, Ohio for the purposes of transporting coal. This ship was a mainstay of the Port Burwell shipping experience until the 1950s and played an intricate role in the development of Southern Ontario through its supply of coal energy.