By Matthew Schulte, ACBS Member and Executive Director SSHSA
For those of us ACBS members who can’t get enough information about our boating heritage then think in a big way, think steamship history…. well “Ship History” to be precise.
The Steamship Historical Society of America (SSHSA) is a non-profit organization and is an official marque club within ACBS. Through recording, preserving, and educating, the mission of the SSHSA is to share the impact of engine-powered vessels, their crews, and their passengers with future generations. It was founded in 1935 by a small group of gentlemen who were interested in steamers, lakers, liners, and powered ships of all types- from the twilight era of the steamship to present. Although traditional steamers have become a rare sight, interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) continues to increase. Today, SSHSA has about 2500 members in all fifty states and in twenty countries.
SSHSA Ship History Center
Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, SSHSA has a collection of about a million ship-related books, images, fine arts, brochures, ship’s plans, models, objects, artifacts, ephemera, and official corporate records. Most of these important materials had been inaccessible— housed in various storage facilities from Baltimore to New York—for 75 years! But thankfully, the collections are now all under one roof and are available for visits, research, and perusal. Over the last decade, SSHSA has re-emerged as a 21st century research and education resource. And in 2020, we purchased an 8,000 square foot former college library building, known today as The Ship History Center. So it is a great time to check out what is here to offer to all our friends and ACBS members.
Perhaps the most convenient resource for those not visiting in-person is our website, www. sshsa.org, which features easy access, an innovative Image Porthole with searchable digitized photographs, and virtual STEAM educational curriculum, that is free and open to anyone with a computer. The site is interactive and keyword searchable, so it thrives from use by people like you and me, seeking information on ships, ports, and maritime images from the last few centuries.
Another great benefit is receiving SSHSA’s flagship quarterly publication, PowerShips magazine. Like ACBS Rudder on steroids, PowerShips is an 88-page, full-color, collector-quality magazine containing feature articles on Immigration, Trade and Leisure, as well as ship history, maritime preservation, regional news, and book reviews. If you’d like a free copy, just let me know and I’ll be happy to oblige.
SSHSA 1954 Annual Meeting at Mariners Museum & Park, Newport News,, VA
Photographs, postcards, and literature like cruise line brochures all help tell the tales of America’s maritime past. It is with these types of materials that we can help. Often people researching their own family genealogy turn to SSHSA for images of their ancestors’ immigrant experience. Trying to find out what the ship looked like that your great-grandmother travelled on? Then drop me a line at mschulte@sshsa.org and me and my crew will be happy to assist.
Like ACBS, SSHSA relies on the kindness of its friends to thrive. If you are ever in the Rhode Island area then please do give a call out, and we can talk about boats, ships and everything maritime, as we’d love to show you around our Ship History Center. The Steamship Historical Society of America, 2500 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886. Please contact us at (401) 463-3570. Visit us at www.sshsa.org or general email info@sshsa.org.