Station VI
AWI Privateer Museum
Welcome to our final station where we would like to share some information about ourselves and our mission. We offer various programs to the public at events and functions and are always looking for ways to recruit help and support. Keeping this museum running requires a great deal of effort, and we cannot do it without your assistance. Thank you for considering supporting us!
Who we are
Our living history museum was founded by a group of passionate historical interpreters in June 2016. Over the years, we have expanded our museum by conducting extensive research, creating compelling content, and developing exhibits. Additionally, we have acquired numerous artifacts with the sole aim of showcasing the lives of privateersmen during the Revolutionary War.
We are not hobbyists, but we are historical interpreters and volunteers who do this as we have a passion for the knowledge and education of others on this specific topic of interest. We are affiliated with the Small Museum Association and the Naval and Marine Living History Association.
What we do:
We create a physical museum exhibition at historical sites or festivals in the region. Sometimes, we even set up a full encampment to give visitors a reasonable representation of the past. Our exhibits, research, and knowledge are on display for all to see. With enough staff on hand, we showcase various aspects of living history to the public, specifically the daily lives of privateersmen during the late American War of Independence from both sides of the conflict. This helps to introduce people to the historical content of the past in a more engaging way.
Throughout the year, we participate in history fairs and educational assemblies by setting up tables that display a condensed version of the file or camp setup in various locations and events.
Our Programs and Projects:
Our programs include the physical museum, lecture discussions (in-person & online), our website, and various resources.
Our projects include the expansion of our exhibits and museum,
-the whaleboat project in which we are attempting to bring home a donated whaleboat from Massachusetts,
-Our eventual plans to construct a brick-and-mortar museum location with a riverfront area to encourage other tall ships to dock & participate,
-To someday purchase another tall ship that we can convert into a functional living history museum to give tours and charters upon, as well as demonstrations in various festivals and events.
What are our plans for the future?
This is the basic plan of what we hope to accomplish with the museum over the course of the next few years…
-Our goal for a brick & mortar museum is to have our own site along the Delaware River or adjacent tributary.
-We plan to make it a place where people can come & perform research on the history from our own library within the museum
-We plan to have another schooner, along with several whaleboats, where we can show the living history to others so that they may learn from it.
-We plan to host events of historical nature and celebration as well as lectures, tours, fundraisers, private & public events, and reenactments
How does one get involved with/support the AWI Privateer Museum?
There are many ways to get involved. Are you interested in becoming a Volunteer, an Active Member, or a Supporting Member?
A Volunteer helps us with either a behind the scenes aspects such as online content as in social media, board or administrative details, or setup, ushering, interning (unpaid), and teardowns. 100% of the staff involved in the AWIPM are all volunteers.
An Active Member helps us with Historical Interpretation and there are 2 types.
Regular Active Members who join us and are covered under our event liability insurance with the NMLHA and SMA, and
Associate/Partnered Unit Memberships who join us as a unit and carry your own event liability insurance.
A Supporting Member is one who wants to be a financial supporter in a more recurring role either monthly or annually at a tier of their choosing.
Options are currently under development for the near future.
A Donor may also be an option for you whether it be just once or many times throughout the year.
Donors are welcome to donate in a financial aspect, material aspect, or exhibit aspect.