A Living Legacy

Founded in 1937, the Essex Historical Society began with a simple idea: that local history matters. In 1976, it expanded into the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, bringing new life to old stories.

The 1993 acquisition of the Story shipyard brought the museum to the river’s edge, where rising tides, skilled hands, and deep roots continue to shape the work.

Today, the work continues across a growing campus. We teach, build, restore, and care for the land and water that shaped the nation. Fifty years in, the past is still at work here... and the future is taking shape.

(978) 768-7541

office@essexshipbuilding.org