OSWEGO – Dotted along the end of the West 1st Street Pier on the shore of Lake Ontario is the H. Lee White Maritime Museum, a historical building nestled close to the heart of the city, which reopened its doors July 1 as part of New York State’s Phase Four Reopening Plan.
The museum encompasses the rich history of the City of Oswego’s water front. The building houses Lake Ontario marine artifacts along with a wealth of information found inside; from early battles between the French and British along Fort Ontario’s shoreline, to H. Lee White’s shipping career on the Great Lakes. And let’s not forget the deep history of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse which still operates to this day.
The Maritime Museum is also home to the National Historic Landmark WWII Tugboat Major Elisha K. Henson. The United States Army Transport (USAT) LT-5 tug gave due service on D-Day as it shot down an enemy plane attacking U.S. troops.
New York State Derrick Boat No. 8 is also for view at the museum; the Derrick used in New York State Barge Canal maintenance from 1927-84.
Also on display is the Eleanor D., a commercial fishing vessel owned and operated by the Cahill family of Oswego until 1979.
“Basically, we tell the story of about 400 years of maritime history of this region; that includes not just the City of Oswego, but also Lake Ontario and anything along the Oswego River; the whole Oswego River Basin,” H. Lee White Maritime Museum Executive Director Mercedes Niess said. “The H. Lee White Maritime Museum was founded by a SUNY Oswego College Theater Professor, Rosemary Nesbitt. It opened in 1982. She started with three rooms upstairs, then taking over the whole building. The building was a canal terminal for the New York State Barge Canal System and built in the 1920s.”
One of the most distinctive sites on the shores of the city is the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse, located a half- mile off the waterfront, connected to land by means of a seawall. Most people only envision what the inside of a light-keeper’s house might look like. The H. Lee White Museum makes that dream possible by offering lighthouse excursions.
The museum holds tours every weekend during the summer, giving visitors a peek inside the lives of the people who kept the lights burning and seafarers safe from the oftentimes, fierce Lake Ontario waters.
The tours begin with a boat ride to the lighthouse, with people entering the basement of the landmark building once there. The outing takes visitors through all levels of the lighthouse via stairs, and for those interested, includes a chance to climb into the tower for a breathtaking view of the water and the Oswego lake-shore.
“We open it up, and you go in from the inside. There’s stairs with handrails and then a short ladder up to the tower. And you can also stand out on the deck and look at the harbor and the city from out on the water and look out on Lake Ontario,” Neiss said. “It’s spectacular.”
Tour guides are located at the lighthouse to offer valuable information, while adding to the rich history and character of days gone by.
“Many years ago, when it was first opened in 1934, they [Coastguard] were stationed out there for a number of days, and then the crew would switch,” Niess said. “[It was] probably a little unnerving, but they were Coastguardsmen; that’s what they did. Before that, there were lighthouse keepers. There was a lighthouse keeper’s service.
Tours run Fridays and Saturdays, July to August from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays in September. All tours are weather permitting. Each tour can accommodate no more than six people or two unrelated groups. Masks are required, with all safety precautions in place per Center for Disease Control protocols.
“The Maritime Museum was able to open in phase four and we’ve worked really hard to establish our protocols and our procedures in accordance with CDC guidelines and New York State FORWARD guidelines, [so] that we can offer people a safe experience using social distancing,” Neiss said. “Masks are required and we do cleanings in between each trip to make sure that people are comfortable coming out into the community. Again, we want to ensure people that they will have a safe experience coming to the museum, whether it’s visiting the museum and the vessels that we have, or visiting the West Pierhead Lighthouse.”
Neiss said people were more than delighted to see the museums reopening. Lighthouse tours sold out quickly during the Fourth of July weekend.
“And that was another thing…it seems to be a lot of local people from within the county are taking advantage of the tours. I think people are having stay-cations, to see what’s in their own back yard,” Neiss said. “The public was so accommodating, and everybody wore masks and used the hand sanitizing stations, and was very cognizant of following the procedures and protocols, and I think that made everybody comfortable… I have to say, during this COVID thing, our Facebook page [has] had a 2,000% increase in visitation. They’re really interested in finding out things about their community.”
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