USS Constitution Museum

How to Get There

From Boston, MA: Take MA‑28 North or follow Freedom Trail signage to Charlestown, enter the Charlestown Navy Yard, and follow Constitution Road to the USS Constitution Museum located beside USS Constitution.

Overview

The USS Constitution Museum is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, which is part of the Boston National Historical Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The museum is situated near the ship USS Constitution at the end of Boston's Freedom Trail. The museum is housed in a restored shipyard building at the foot of Pier 2.

The museum, through its collections and interactive exhibits, tells the story of Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and the people who designed, built, and sailed her. The museum is also home to the Samuel Eliot Morison Memorial Library and includes a comprehensive archival repository of records related to the ship's history. The USS Constitution Museum is a private, non-profit organization that is managed separately from the naval ship.

Exhibits

All Hands On Deck - An all-ages interactive exhibit that explores the realities of life at sea during the War of 1812

Old Ironsides in War and Peace - A in-depth look at the ship's storied history, including how and why she was built, how she earned her fame during the War of 1812, and why she is preserved at the United States Navy's oldest commissioned warship

"Old Ironsides" War of 1812 Discovery Center - An interactive exhibit that explains the causes and consequences of the War of 1812 through games, multi-media, books, and other hands-on activities

Constitution vs HMS Java - The story of the battle between Constitution and HMS Java, told through artwork, archival records, and artifacts associated with the battle

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "USS Constitution Museum", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0