By MARY ALICE WENZL
Special to the Journal & Topics Newspapers
Darkness was descending on Mystic Seaport, located in southeast Connecticut in the town of Mystic, as we embarked on our sail that late October evening. Crossing the harbor by lantern light cast an eerie pall on the impending night. Anticipating ghostly sights sent more shivers down our spines than the chilly autumn weather.
Transporting us back to the 1800s with ghost tales, we walked with lanterns in hand from one proprietor to the next hearing stories of strange sightings and occurrences that raised the hair on the back of our necks. Mystic Seaport encompasses many things all year round from Liberty Days in February, Lobsterfest in May, an authentic 1870s Fourth of July celebration to Nautical Nightmares in October.
With myriad activities for children such as Discovery Barn with its interactive exhibits and hands-on activities, Mystic Seaport is a fun, educational place for all members of the family to enjoy. From toddlers to teens to grandmas and grandpas, there are many opportunities to learn something new. Build a boat. Learn to sail. Enroll in the Maritime Studies Program where one studies mankind's relationship with the sea from the shore and onboard a fully rigged sailing ship. Graduate level courses are available at the Munson Institute, which include hands-on experiences aboard the 112-foot schooner Ernestina, built in 1894. Summer internships, fellowships and research positions are available.
Mystic Seaport combines a 19th century coastal village, a working shipyard and museum. From its days as a huge shipbuilding yard to the present, this port now harbors historic ships such as its jewel, the Charles W. Morgan, a whaler that sailed some 80 years. The whaling industry was the lifeblood of this North Atlantic area fueling the Industrial Revolution providing lubricating oil for industrial machines, oil for lamps and lighthouses and whalebone which was the flexible plastic of the time.
Also as a working preservation shipyard, certain types of wood are needed for shipbuilding. Some live oaks have been retrieved from Hurricane Katrina Gulf Coast areas such as Gulfport and Pass Christian. One of the salvaged live oaks to possibly be used in the building of the tall ships is an 800-year-old that was felled during Katrina's tear through the gulf area.
In the year 2000, the craftsmen launched a replica of the historic slave ship, the Amistad, which was skillfully built onsite. Though this ship was not used in the movie "Amistad", some of the actual film was shot at Mystic Seaport.
Volunteers are the backbone of Mystic Seaport making possible all that goes on in this seafaring village.
Staying at the Inn at Mystic was a delight. Owner Jody Dyer was the perfect hostess at this historical and magical inn located in the seaport town of Mystic, Connecticut. A 15-acre hillside resort, this Colonial Revival mansion was built in 1904 by the widow of one of the late 1800s founders of the Fulton Fish Market, Katherine Haley.
Purchased in 1943 by financier Frederick Mosel, it was sold to the Dyer family in 1980. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is comprised of five unique buildings: Haley Mansion (now the Inn); Gate House (Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall honeymooned here‹you can ask for Room #8 if you want to sleep in the same room); Motor Inn, East Wing and Flood Tide Restaurant. Accommodations in the East Wing were a treat with a queen-size 4-poster canopied bed, a fireplace and a view of Pequotsepos Cove, Long Island Sound and Mystic Harbor.
Some of us decided to go kayaking under Jody's direction. Since I was a newbie to the sport, the Pequotsepos Estuary was a perfect place to give it a try. Very calm and gentle waters‹the only difficult thing was getting in and out of the kayak.
Wonderful meals are served at the Flood Tide Restaurant. Named "Flood Tide" for the highest tide of the month when the sun and moon are aligned, meals are an event. Using local and regional organic farmers' produce really ensures the freshness and quality of the food and in turn, supports the local suppliers gardens and the fisherman who likely caught the lobster, fish or shellfish on your dinner plate. A special custom which is complimentary is afternoon tea serving freshly brewed tea and trays of all kinds of finger sandwiches and pastries from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Jody is a very warm and genuine person who is always right there to make sure you are pleased with your stay in every way.
Significant to this region are the Pequot Indians whose history is illustrated at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
Situated in southeastern Connecticut on land that has been continuously occupied by Native people for over 10,000 years, this museum dramatically shows what life was like for these people as you walk through the 16th century Pequot Village with its truly lifelike figures. The museum encompasses 85,000 sq. ft. of dramatically real exhibits showing the complexity of native life which could take three days to go through.
Another meaningful spot of history is Stonington, Connecticut with its Old Lighthouse Museum portraying what life was like in its whaling and sealing days. The home of Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer is a National Historic Landmark in Stonington. Capt. Palmer, as a young skipper of the sloop Hero, found land that turned out to be Antarctica during an expedition to the South Shetland Islands.
With its abundantly rich background, Mystic, Connecticut and the surrounding areas of Mashantucket and Stonington offers much to visitors of all ages.
For more information check out the various websites.
www.innatmystic.com; www.visitmysticseaport.com;
www.mysticseaport.org; www.pequotmuseum.org; www.stoningtonhistory.org.
Small craft enthusiasts gather each year as every type of small boat imaginable bobs and weaves along Mystic Seaport's waterfront. Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT photo