The Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum is a new, family oriented, interactive, cultural and educational facility that is being developed near the Delaware River in a beautiful, historic (1881) church that was built using ballast stones brought from around the world in the holds of sailing ships. Situated in the historic district of Waterfront South in Camden, New Jersey, the aim of the Museum is to present a variety of programs and exhibitions related to local and regional maritime history and host a variety of recreational boating programs for children and their families. The Museum’s programs will have a thematic orientation to the people, places, enterprises, and events associated with the maritime history of the New Jersey side of the Delaware River estuary.

The Museum has several focal points:

West Jersey Shipbuilding and Shipbuilder Communities:
The Museum has a particular interest in developing programs and exhibits in the following areas: local boat builders and ship builders, such as Camden’s giant New York Shipbuilding Corporation; and the planned shipbuilder communities of Fairview (1918), Brooklawn (1918), Audubon Park (circa1940) and Bellmawr Park (circa1940), among others.

Maritime Exploration:
The Museum has a special interest in developing programs and exhibits celebrating the quest to reach the North Pole by the internationally renowned Artic explorers Admiral Robert and Mrs. Josephine Peary and Mr. Matthew Henson. This interest stems from the fact that both Robert Peary and Matthew Henson lived and worked locally and that local scientific institutions sponsored their famous Greenland expedition of 1891. Moreover, one of the buildings housing the Museum was constructed using ballast stones brought from Greenland in their ship the “Kite” after these explorations. A statue honoring Matthew Henson as the co-discoverer of the North Pole is under development.

Recreational Boating:
The Museum has a strong interest in highlighting the rich recreational and environmental resources offered by the Delaware River, and the many West Jersey creeks and rivers that flow into it. As a result, it will sponsor exhibits and programs on contemporary boating and riverine ecology as well as historic small craft common to the region. Classes will include instruction in water safety, navigation, boat building, and small craft handling.