The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, located in Hatteras, North Carolina, is an establishment dedicated to educating the public about the maritime history of this region of the US and the many shipwrecks that have occurred on this coast. These seemed like odd "oh by the way" topics, too far distantly related to shipwrecks for the space they were given.This museum helps recount the maritime culture and history of this region through intriguing exhibits and artifacts. The panel on when Hatteras Village received electricity All the space dedicated to the evolution of diving equipment I could understand having some diving gear and talking about scavenging shipwrecks, but going into the history and displaying all the different breathing apparatus didn't quite fit in with the "mission" of shipwrecks.Ģ. Some things seemed out of place to me, such as:ġ. People often do not realize that only a small percentage of a museum's artifacts are on display at any given time - again BRAVO! Glass wall allowing visitors to view the conservation lab and what happens before an artifact is put in a museum exhibit.
Every museum should have this type of exhibit - BRAVO! And the story of Blackbeard's ship Queen Anne's Revenge makes the point - Arrrr! Well done, Matey!ĥ.
Panels and displays discussing what all is involved in conservation, documentation, archaeological information, stabilization, preservation, storage,Īnd displaying of an artifact - the "so what" factors of finding anything from a previous time period or civilization and the basic reason museums exist. Unique exhibit - how citizens used goods scavenged from shipwrecks including books, tables, and even sewing machines.Ĥ. It's story of survival is pretty incredible.ģ. First-order Fresnel lens - this is the largest order of lens Fresnel made for lighthouses, and the first one I've been this close to. The design of the building - the side facing the street looks like the main frame of a wooden ship.Ģ. A few things that caught my eye right away were:ġ. Having worked at a museum for 15 years, I can appreciate what all goes into the exhibiting, labeling, and rotating of artifacts, as well as the best use of space and general traffic flow. It is a nice little museum with a unique story to tell. It took less than an hour for my hubby and I to go through. This museum was recommended by locals as well as found in the North Carolina Visitor's Guide, and I'm glad we stopped here. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this museum is an insult to the thousands of souls drowned off the coast of North Carolina, but it’s not far off. Nobody has thought about the visitor experience, the flow, the clarity (a new exhibit is all in capitals, SO EVERYTHING SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE BEING SHOUTED AT) or the overall vision. When you leave, the only sign says NOT AN EXIT. The building itself is architecturally impressive, but the entrances are unmarked, except for a sign saying Keep Off The Grass. Half of a new area is devoted to the story of North Carolina fishing – very interesting, but nothing to do with the museum or its remit. I read the information panels twice and still couldn't work out how it got there. The survival of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse lamp, which should be a stirring tale, is simply confused. But the Enigma machine is displayed on the other side from the story of the sinking and the hatch is in a third area, unlabelled.īlackbeard's pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge, found off the coast of Carolina in 1996: the story of the ship is told from before its capture, but the story of its discovery is nowhere to be found. U 85, the first U-boat sunk by a United States man-of-war, a captured Enigma machine that was on board and the hatch from the U-boat itself.
So many great stories rendered incomprehensible by odd layout, muddled storytelling and poorly thought out exhibits. The Graveyard of the Atlantic is one of the most confused and confusing museums I have ever visited.
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