U.S. naval Academy Museum

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The United States Naval Academy Museum is an open-to-the-public maritime museum in Annapolis, Maryland. It is part of the United States Naval Academy and is housed at Preble Hall on the grounds of the Academy. The museum is 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) in size and includes four galleries. The museum is open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; it is closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Director CDR Claude Berube, PhD USNR, is now in charge.

The mission of the US Naval Academy Museum is to collect, preserve, and exhibit artifacts and art that are part of the physical heritage of the US Navy and the Naval Academy in order to instill in Midshipmen a knowledge of the US Navy and the Naval Academy’s history and heritage, to supplement the instruction of all academic departments at the Academy, and to demonstrate to the public the physical heritage of the US Navy and the Naval Academy. And to instill a desire in young people to join the Brigade of Midshipmen and begin a career of service to their country.

History U.S. Naval Academy Museum

The Naval School Lyceum was founded in 1845 under the direction of the Academy’s first chaplain. For study and discussion, the Lyceum gathered together a collection of historic and natural objects, scientific instruments and models, and works of art. President James K. Polk ordered that the Navy’s historic flag collection be transported to the new Naval School at Annapolis for care and exhibition in 1849. The Navy Department forwarded war trophies, artifacts from exploration and survey expeditions, diplomatic missions, and works of art provided by naval personnel after the Civil War. The Lyceum’s early collections of ordnance and ship models were used as teaching aids by the Academy’s Gunnery and Seamanship Departments.
The Lyceum and its collection increased dramatically during the next sixty years. The transfer of the collections of the United States Naval Lyceum to the New York Navy Yard in 1892 and the receipt of the enormous collection of the Boston Naval Library and Institute in 1922 were the main reasons for this. Many private individuals and groups have donated significant and irreplaceable historic artifacts since 1939.
A Permanent Home
The 19th-century Naval Academy Lyceum was originally housed in a chamber above the mess hall, but in the late 1860s it was relocated to a disused chapel. Exhibits were installed in Bancroft Hall’s Memorial Hall around 1910. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, advocated that the Lyceum’s collections be housed in a “museum” in 1920. The Lyceum was thereafter given access to the ground floor of Maury Hall. Through the generosity of two private groups, the Naval Academy Athletic Association and the United States Naval Institute, the current museum building was built and opened in 1939. In 1962, the Naval Institute funded a building extension, and in 1970, the entire structure was dedicated to Commodore Edward Preble (1761-1807), a Revolutionary War, Quasi-War with France, and Barbary Wars officer.
Preble Hall was completely renovated in 2007-2008 to transform it into a modern museum. The room has been updated with new exhibits, improved collection storage areas, and upgraded office space, among other things. In the summer of 2009, the museum reopened to the public.

U.S. Naval Academy Museum Location

Address: 118 Maryland Ave, Annapolis, MD 21402, United States
Phone: +1 410-293-2108
https://www.usna.edu/Museum/index.php

Directions

Take exit 24 to Rowe Boulevard if traveling east on Route 50. At the second signal, turn left onto Taylor Avenue. Taylor Avenue makes a sharp right turn after two blocks and becomes Baltimore Boulevard (Route 450). Stay on Baltimore Boulevard and turn right into King George Street at the first signal. The majority of King George Street has on-street parking. Enter the Academy grounds through Gate 1 once you’ve parked.
Take the Route 450 exit if traveling west on Route 50. After exiting, keep right at the fork and follow the signs to the Naval Academy. Turn left into King George Street from Route 450. The majority of King George Street has on-street parking. Enter the Academy grounds through Gate 1 once you’ve parked.
Drivers who do not have a Department of Defense ID are not allowed on the Naval Academy grounds. After a vehicle inspection, handicapped guests with correct decals are allowed to pass through Gate 1. Every bag will be searched.
Gate 1 is required for visitors to the US Naval Academy Museum (King George Street).