Museum Library

Independence Seaport Museum's Library is one of the nation's premier regional maritime research centers, offering an impressive range of materials widely used by historians, authors, sailors, maritime enthusiasts and students.

The library houses more than 12,000 volumes, 9,000 ship plans and a significant collection of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, maps and charts.

The library's holdings are cataloged on the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) which is widely available in public libraries across the United States. More records for archival collections, such as manuscripts and photographs, are being added to OCLC all the time, but finding aids for some of these materials are only available on site.

Collection Highlights Include:

The Barry-Hayes Papers, which includes correspondence, journals, and financial papers of the Commodore John Barry and Patrick Hayes families, 1723-1875

The John Lenthall Collection of plans and drawings of American naval and merchant vessels, 1790-1874*

The William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company Collection of plans, contract books and photographs, 1830-1927, 1941-1946**

The New York Shipbuilding Company Collection of construction, launch, christening ceremony and trial trip photographs, 1900-1962

The Captain John Green Papers featuring materials regarding the China trade

The Thayer Family Collection of ocean liner ephemera compiled by a Titanic survivor and his son, containing postcards, deck plans, menus, and photographs of liners, 1892-1986

Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard photographs and oral histories of workers recorded in 1994 and 1999

Logbooks and journals of voyages from merchant and naval vessels from the 18th to the 20th century

Letters, photographs, journals and scrapbooks kept by sailors who served aboard ISM's historic ships OLYMPIA and BECUNA

Records of Philadelphia area rowing clubs

Periodicals from 1728 to the present, with a complete run of the New York Maritime Register.

* on loan from The Franklin Institute
**on loan from the Franklin Institute and Atwater Kent Museum

Web Exhibit:

Ladies Who Launch: Ship Christening Photographs from Delaware Valley Shipyards, a collection of images from launching ceremonies at local shipbuilding companies, including candid photos and portraits of the women who sponsored the ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, N.J., and Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Wilmington, Del. Dating from 1905 to 1960, the photos show the scale of the launching parties in relation to the enormity of the ships, the effervescent crash of champagne bottles, and fabulous fashions of the day. View the exhibit »

Available Finding Aids

To download the following, which are saved as PDF files, you need free Adobe Acrobat reader.

Barry-Hayes Papers
George Betts Collection
Henry Grier Bryant Papers
Conner Family Papers
Gridley Collection
Lena Inverso Papers
Ogden and Cuthbert Family Papers
Tipton Family Papers
Thayer Family Collection
Walsh Family Papers
Dr. Joseph Wilson, Jr. Papers
West Philadelphia Boat Club Records

Contacting and Visiting the Library

The Library is open to the public by appointment only Tuesday through Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm.

When using the library, we ask for your help in preserving and protecting the collections. All materials should be handled with care and are for use in the library only. Photocopying is done at the librarian's discretion. ISM members are eligible for discounts on some library service fees. No eating, drinking or chewing gum is permitted in the library. Please use pencil when taking notes; no pens are permitted near library materials. Electrical outlets for laptop computers are available. Personal belongings should be stored in a locker. Please ask the librarian if you require a pencil, magnifying glass, book support or scrap paper.

For more information or to schedule an appointment:
Call 215.413.8639 - Fax 215.925.6713 - Email

Mail to: ISM Library
211 South Columbus Blvd. & Walnut St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106

When writing for reference assistance, please be specific in stating your request and be sure to provide complete contact information. There is a $15 processing fee for handling research requests. Checks should be made payable to Independence Seaport Museum Library. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for a response.

Genealogists should be aware that the library's collections generally do not support detailed genealogical research. Those beginning to undertake a genealogy project are strongly encouraged to view the National Archives Genealogy Page before contacting the library. For passenger arrivals at the Port of Philadelphia, please contact the National Archives Mid-Atlantic branch.

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Events & Exhibits

Museum Library

Collection Highlights Include:

Web Exhibit:

Available Finding Aids

Contacting and Visiting the Library