Red Hook's Waterfront Museum Barge

Waterfront Museum Barge

Waterfront Museum Barge

Red Hook has many unusual and obscure places that help define the neighborhood’s character and make it a fascinating place to explore. One such semi-obscure point of interest is the Waterfront Museum barge near Fairway.

Performance of Moby Dick Inside Barge

Red Hook’s Waterfront Museum is housed in a 101 year-old historic Leigh Valley railroad barge. The historic vessel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1][2] The barge was originally used to ferry cargo like dates, nuts and olive oil through New York Harbor.[3] Before the barge was purchased by the museum’s president David Sharps in 1985, it had been run aground off New Jersey's Hudson River shoreline. After purchasing the vessel for a dollar, Sharps restored it for use as a cultural and educational space. Then, in 1986 he founded the Waterfront Museum.[1][4] The museum relocated to Red Hook ca. 1994.[5] The barge has hosted music performances, circus acts, art exhibits and theater productions among others.[1] In addition, the museum promotes the barge as a “floating classroom” to school groups for learning about geography, history, social studies and science.[4] On a recent Friday evening I went to see a theatrical adaptation of Moby Dick at the Waterfront Museum. The museum made excellent use of their space as a minimalist set and the actors did a great job bringing the story to life. David Sharps was once a performer himself. He began his career as a clown and juggler aboard Carnival Cruise Ships, so this sort of entertainment is familiar territory for him.[3]

Waterfront Museum Barge

If you are in the area during the museum’s limited hours on Thursday and Saturday I recommend checking it out. Or, you could check out one of the performances at the barge. If you find yourself in Red Hook with some free time, I also highly recommend a walk along the waterfront. There are several interesting places to explore. I have visited and blogged about the Grain Elevator, Fairway’s abandoned Trolley and now the Barge Museum, however, there is still a lot more to see.

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References:

1. Karp, Daria “Red Hook Performance Barge-Museum Receives More Than $50,000 in Grants” Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1 May, 2003
2. Curtis, Lisa J. “Save the Barge” The Brooklyn Papers 13, May 2002
3. Kennedy, Randy “A Return to Its Maritime Roots” New York Times 26 July, 2005
4. Museum History WaterfrontBargeMuseum.org
5. The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge NewYorkMag.com