Chicago Maritime Museum

Chicago likes to tell its story as a railroad city, a meatpacking city, an industrial city, and a great inland metropolis. But before any of that could happen, there was the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Clint Cargile explores the history of the I&M Canal and makes the

Mitchell Trachtenberg presents a  wonderful talk about the history of Chicago's best-known infrastructure.  Since the city's beginning, moving bridges have been built to cross the river while allowing shipping.  Going through generations of design shifts and re-invention, these causeways became both iconic and infuriating to Chicagoans. Mitchell

Chicago’s maritime history has been shaped by large storms. Unexpected weather-related events like the sinking of the Lady Elgin make up the story of Chicago’s past. But new scientific methods, observations, and artificial intelligence tools can help us shape a safer future. Join Scott Collis, an atmospheric

Historian Larry McClellan will be taking a broad look at the actions and reactions of Black and White Leadership in their work with the Underground Railroad, with the Civil War, and Juneteenth. In the decades before the Civil War, more than 4500 enslaved people escaping from the

The life-saving beacon of Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston first sailed over the waters of Lake Michigan on March 1st, 1874, as the leading navigational aid into Chicago’s harbor. In this presentation, keeper Don Terras will discuss the history and adaptive use of Grosse Point Lighthouse operating

  The Great Lakes have a long and fascinating history of women involved in maritime life at every level, from cooks to captains. Join Chicago Maritime Museum curator Madeline Crispell for a survey of the evolving roles women have played on the Great Lakes over centuries. Learn

To celebrate the last two months of CMM’s current temporary exhibition, Maritime Midwest Modern, renowned architect Dirk Lohan will be sharing his thoughts on the interplay between architecture and the waterways in Chicago and his own career. As CMM’s chairman, Dirk designed the museum’s interior space, which

Join us on August 15th as Dr. Wayne Duerkes discusses the far-reaching impact of canals and how they have influenced daily life and helped shape the development of the City of Chicago. Dr. Duerkes is a professional historian and author with over 30 years of experience on

Maritime Architecture of the Upper Peninsula is a visual tour of the region's architecture, with a focus on its legacy of mining, shipping, and maritime trade. The visual lecture and slideshow will feature original photos as well as archival images, using architecture to explore the history of

Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad Near Lake Michigan In the decades before the Civil War, more than 4500 enslaved people escaping from the South traveled across Illinois, with many coming to and through the Chicago region.  With maps and images, historian and author Larry McClellan, will

Joseph Gamble will present his research on a little-known Civil War gunboat fleet from Chicago. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the US Navy realized it would need a fleet of gunboats to control the western rivers from the Great Lakes to the Gulf

Save Saturday, November 30, for a rousing afternoon and evening of magical music and storytelling by Lee Murdock at the Chicago Maritime Museum, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. This is an all-ages performance sure to ring in the season of holiday gatherings. The party starts with admission to the

Join CMM as Emily Barton Altman discusses Lake Michigan bathymetric map poetry. Altman will read her work and then trace the map and score-based practices that inform her writing. Beginning with 20th century avant-garde practices and ending with contemporary work, Altman will show how writers and artists

Mark Lach, creative producer of Titanic, The Exhibition reflects on his exciting and emotional dive to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean and the wreck of the RMS Titanic. Lach will also take you on his creative journey, bringing the real story of Titanic to millions around the world

Despite being 800 miles from the Atlantic Ocean Chicago has been a Navy town for more than 130 years.  The modern history of the Navy has been influenced by Chicago and Chicagoans to an extent most people are unaware.  The Chicago Navy Memorial Foundation is committed to