Delaware Beautiful Review

  DiscoverSea  Shipwreck Museum - Fenwick Island, Delaware

Are you someone that has always had a fascination for the sea?Have you ever wanted to search for a shipwreck to see what treasures await you? If so, you will want to make a trip to the DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum and explore the exhibits. 

The museum is privately owned and funded receiving no government funding.  It contains one of the largest collections in the world of artifacts recovered from the sea.  There are about 10,000 artifacts on display at all times while there is another 80% rotated throughout museum exhibits around the world.

While visiting the museum you will also have the opportunity to hear a lecture on the finds or watch a program.  You will be able to travel through a hands-on experience enabling you to shake hands with history.

Using proper archeology and recovery you will be able to experience Delmarva's forgotten maritime history filled with stories of pirates and privateers, of merchantmen and galleons, of the men who sailed their ships and the wreckers that waited for them on desolate shores.

Artifacts are washed close to shore with the northeasters that blow in from time to time washing them up to be discovered and bring the history of the earlier times into the reach of those willing to search, listen and learn.

The ships that sunk all tell a story, about the people that lived during the time the ship was sailing, how they worked and finding all those stories that help us cope with the present but educating you about the past.

There are many ships that have artifacts at the museum. They are the : Atocha; China Wreck; Concepcion; Edmund Fitzgerld; Faithful Steward; Gaudalupe; H.M.S. DeBraak; Juno; La Galga; R.M.S. Republic; 1715 Fleet; and 1733 Fleet to name a few.

There are also Coin Beaches located along the Delmarva Coastline.  You can find coins about every ¬º mile.  Many people associate shipwrecks with Florida and the Caribbean.  Many people forget that in early days one of the largest ports of call in was  Philadelphia.  There is a one mile long stretch of coastline north of Indian River Inlet that has produced thousands of coins over the years from the wreck of the Faithful Steward.

You will also be able to see the Colonial Sites that sit along the coastline.  These sites are great sources of information on how the first settlers to America lived.  The first settlement established by European settlers was founded on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina shore in 1585, it was abandoned and resettled two years later and then mysteriously deserted again.  In 1602, 18 years before the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod, the first English attempt to colonize the area we now call New England failed.

There are now archaeology digs done in the area to help us understand the past.  The digs reveal the secrets and stories of a different time and culture in history.

Tour information - the museum is located on Bayard Street and Ocean Highway, just seven blocks from the Ocean City, Maryland/Delaware State Line. During the tour you will see thousands of artifacts ranging form gold and Silver bars, coins, weapons, china and items used aboard early day sailing ships. The seashells, marine life tanks and the working lab at the museum will help to educate you about the aspects of treasures from the oceanÄôs depths.

When you have completed your visit to the museum donÄôt rush off.  Take some time to visit the romance of Fenwick Island and Bethany beach, which are among the coastal towns near DelawareÄôs southern border known as the ÄúQuiet ResortsÄù.  There are several quaint communities and miles of pristine beaches, bays, and wildlife preserves that provide a sanctuary for you to escape from normal everyday life for a little while.

You will also be able to visit Fenwick Island Lighthouse which was built in 1858.