BATH

An exhibit of more than 150 artifacts and documents collected by Maine Maritime Museum over the past half century marks the culminating event of the museum’s 50th anniversary celebration.

“Ahead Full at Fifty: 50 Years of Collecting at Maine Maritime Museum” opens Saturday and will be on view through May 26. An opening reception will be held tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. at the museum at 243 Washington St.

The exhibit will showcase objects that are historically important, rare in beauty, or have an unusual story about how the museum acquired them. According to Dave Garrison, director of marketing and communications for the museum, “We start with the very first item we ever collected, which is a blocking mallet or maul. And our last or latest collection item which is a commissioned model built of the Wyoming, which was the biggest sailing ship ever made.”

Kelly Page is a historian and works as the museum’s registrar. She has extensive knowledge of all the pieces included in this special exhibit.

“This is our opportunity to bring out our favorite pieces. Usually our exhibits center around a theme, but this special celebration exhibit highlights all our best pieces throughout the 50 years that we have been in operation,” Page said.

The museum is unique in that it has a large collection of shipbuilding tools, more than 700, as well as information and artifacts related to shipbuilding as opposed to just the history of certain types of ships.

An example is a ship’s ornatelydecorated canvas wheel cover that will be on display in the exhibit. “Ship’s wheel covers were usually discarded once they were worn, so this is a rare artifact in that it’s in one piece. Such a cover would be installed whenever the ship was docked, because the wheel itself was often carved and made from wood, so they wanted to protect it,” Page said.

The museum has been in different locations throughout its 50 year tenure, so visitors often come in remembering a past location and marveling over the current buildings, area and layout.

“Often we collect items that just have cool stories behind how they were acquired. It might not be a particularly rare item, but it has a good story. Like this is a medicine chest from 1850 that came from the Thomas J. Loring Apothecary in Portland. Most ships didn’t have doctors on board, so the ships (medicine chests) came with a pamphlet and an officer on-board would look up your ailment in the pamphlet and then give you one of the tinctures or powders based on the numbered bottles in the chest,” Page said.

The exhibit is curated by museum trustee emeritus Charles E. Burden, with assistance from the entire curatorial staff. Burden is one of the founding members of the museum and has been an active and involved supporter since 1964. A number of the objects in “Ahead Full at Fifty” were either donated by Burden or acquired by the museum through his efforts.

“We’re really excited about mounting this exhibit because it affords us the opportunity to show the breadth and depth of our collection,” Nathan Lipfert, senior curator, said in a news release. “This one is all Maine Maritime Museum items. As our curator of exhibits says, ‘We get to strut our stuff.’”

An exhibit catalog, titled “Maine & the Sea: 50 Years of Collecting at Maine Maritime Museum,” has been published. All the objects in the exhibit will be pictured in the catalog in chronological order of their acquisition, along with the story of how the museum came in possession of the object or document. This narrative presents the story of how a museum’s collection is built over decades through donations, planned purchases and sheer serendipity. The limited-run soft-cover book will be available at the museum store or online through the website.

Admission prices are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students and $10 for children younger than 17. Museum members and children younger than 6 are admitted free. Admission includes a second-day visit within a seven-day period.

The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For more information, call 443-1316 or visit www.mainemaritimemuseum.com.