Majestic Mary E, Maine’s Oldest Schooner Returns To the Water

Over a century ago, the Mary E was built on the banks of Kennebec. According to the museum that now stands on its building site, the ship is believed to be the oldest wooden vessel built in Bath!Since then, The 73-foot long two-masted schooner has had many adventures serving stints across New England as a fishing boat, a carrier ship, a rum-runner, and later on, a river tour boat. She changed ownership several times and according to Bangor Daily News, was even salvaged for $200 after being abandoned and sunk off the coast of a Massachusetts fishing harbor during a hurricane.

Last year, the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath acquired her from a New York owner and began an extensive restoration. On June 9th, the public will be welcome to watch as the revamped Mary E makes her way back into her native waters on the Kennebec. While the museum will remain the ship's permanent home, "Mary E Commissioning Day" kicks off a series of appearances across the state where the schooner will "serve as an ambassador of Maine's maritime heritage," reports Bangor Daily News.

From 10:00am - 3:00pm on June 9th, the public will have the opportunity to board this ship for the first time and hear stories from her exciting past. Museum tickets will be discounted for the special event and children under 12 are free. Donations to the Maine Maritime Museum and its endeavors are encouraged; the museum is still in the midst of raising $2 million to pay for its continued restoration and maintenance.

Friends of the museum have documented the progress of the Mary E thus far:

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