Discover the maritime history and heritage of Newburyport, Massachusetts, the Merrimack River Valley, and of course the Custom House itself. Built in 1835 to facilitate tax collection on imported goods from a growing overseas trade in one of America’s earliest ports, the Custom House was designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument and U.S. Treasury Building.
See our unique collection of maritime art, model clipper ships, displays of famous shipwrecks, the history of the Coast Guard, and much more!
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“A gem of a maritime museum… The exhibits are superbly done in a way that draws visitors into the display to seek more information.”
James Shuttleworth The Los Angeles Maritime Museum Associated with the San Francisco Maritime Museum
Did You Know…
The Dreadnaught is the most famous and fastest clipper ship built in Newburyport. How fast?
With optimal conditions she'd reach 300-315 miles a day. On a bad day she traveled at least 133. When Captain Samuel Samuels skippered the Dreadnaught, she beat steamers across the Atlantic. In February of 1859, she crossed 3,018 miles of ocean in 13 days and 8 hours.
Early clipper ships literally helped build Newburyport, brick by brick.
Clipper ships from Scotland used bricks for ballast. When they arrived in Newburyport, the bricks were unloaded and used in construction. Local granite was loaded onto the ships for the return trip to Scotland.
Everyone knows the Boston Tea Party story. Newburyport lit up the skies with its own Tea Party.
When the British Parliament in 1773 imposed a tax on tea imported into the American colonies the act was widely resented. In indignation tea was brought by the people to market square and burned. To commemorate the incident this tablet was erected in Newburyport's Market Square in 1910.
How did "square-rigger" become a real estate term?
Some captains of three-masted, square-rigged ships returned to Newburyport and built square, three-storied homes. These federalist mansions are also known as "square-riggers."
In 1790, the Revenue Cutter Service was created to ensure collection of import tariffs and commissioned the building of 10 vessels. What was the largest ship?
In 1791, the 55-foot Massachusetts was built in Newburyport. It patrolled the coast for smugglers and escorted merchant ships to the Custom House. The Revenue Cutter Service was one of five federal services that now comprise the U.S. Coast Guard. That's why Newburyport is the official birthplace of the Coast Guard.
