The maritime collection at the Oysterponds Historical Society has been a key component of our holdings since the earliest days. George R. Latham, one of the founders of the Society and our most important donor, collected a splendid group of ship portraits which he bequeathed to the Society. Many of these are on view in Webb House. Complementing the ship paintings are ship models, nautical instruments and various items of maritime interest. For a number of years these were shown in an exhibition, The Sea Around Us, which was permanently on view in the Hallock Building. When the library and collections were moved there nearly twenty years ago, the exhibition was dismantled. The ship models as a group have rarely been on view since. Eleven were chosen for this
exhibition. Of these, many were made by men living in Oysterponds, some of whom served on the vessel represented by the model. Several depict a type of vessel rather than a specific ship. A few famous ships (Sovereign of the Seas, Charles W. Morgan) with no particular Oysterponds connection are included, as are two models of warships (the President and a curious double ender from the Civil War era). At least one model (the Carrie) can be considered a love token.