157th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads commemorated at Mariners’ Museum

The Mariners’ Museum and Park will host a day-long event on Saturday, March 9, filled with family-friendly programming and activities to commemorate the famous Civil War battle that changed modern naval history forever.

This year, to honor the 157th Anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the Museum will offer dozens of activities that are free with $1 admission. Reenactors from the Tidewater Maritime Living History Association will bring history to life through demonstrations and storytelling. Throughout the USS Monitor Center, guests will learn new stories about artifacts with in-gallery interpretation by Museum staff. Abraham Lincoln will be on-site to visit with guests, take pictures, and answer questions. Other activities will include music of the time period, coffee with the cook, period games, and more.

Tours of the Batten Conservation Complex’s storage area will be available throughout the day. Guests can see where USS Monitor artifacts are stored for protection and research, after they have been conserved. This area is usually closed to visitors, but for this special day, guests will be able to view unique objects not often seen by the general public.

The day will end with the fan-favorite History Bites food-tasting competition at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for this evening event will be required and are available now for purchase. Hampton Roads’ top restaurants, caterers, and culinary schools will prepare their best interpretations of 19th-century dishes. Cooks will compete for the coveted Cast-Iron Skillet Awards, including People’s Choice and Judge’s Choice. During the event, guests get unlimited samples of all the dishes and can mingle with Abraham Lincoln and other historical interpreters.

For more information about Battle of Hampton Roads Day and History Bites, please visit MarinersMuseum.org.

The Mariners’ Museum and Park connects people to the world’s waters because through the water – through our shared maritime heritage – we are connected to one another. The organization is an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings, and other maritime artifacts. The Mariners’ Museum is home to the USS Monitor Center, and is surrounded by the 550-acre Mariners’ Museum Park, the largest privately maintained park open to the public in North America. The Mariners’ Museum Library is the largest maritime library in the Western hemisphere. Because of the Museum’s world-class collection and its reputation for high-level exhibits and programs, in 1999, the U.S. Congress designated The Mariners’ Museum as one of only two maritime museums that comprise America’s National Maritime Museum. In an effort to provide access to the incredible stories told through the collection to all guests, admission to the Museum is only $1 per person. For hours and information, visit MarinersMuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or write to The Mariners’ Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.