Fathom This February 2013

FATHOM THIS!

The monthly newsletter from

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

February, 2013

Issue #55

Peter Kasin

Park Ranger, Interpretation Division

Newsletter editor and writer

Contributor:

Richard Everett, Curator of Exhibits

IN THIS ISSUE:

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

CHINESE WHISPERS

SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY EXPO

LINKS

Welcome to San Francisco Maritime National historical Park, and to the February issue of Fathom This! To see all the programs the park has to offer, please see the park's website athttps://www.nps.gov/safr/, the website of our cooperating San Francisco Maritime National Park Association at https://www.nps.gov, and the Library Friends at http://www.maritimelibraryfriends.org

Fees to board the historic vessels berthed at Hyde Street Pier are: Adults, $5. Ages 15 and under, free. Free with national park passes. Ticket booth located halfway along Hyde Street Pier. Free admission to the visitor Center, Maritime Museum, and Maritime Library.

Feel free to forward Fathom This! in whole or in part, and enter it into blogs. To receive it, or to cancel, please contact the editor at e-mail us. Your name and email address is never loaned or sold.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

Join us for these special programs and exhibits exploring our rich African American and Caribbean seafaring heritage.

COME TO THE WATER: TEACHING SAN FRANCISCO BLACK HERITAGEEvery Saturday in February, 11am, and March 2, concluding Tuesday, March 5, 3:30pm, in the Visitor Center Theater. Free admission. Wheelchair accessible. Information: 415-447-5000.

Historian John William Templeton leads course in teaching San Francisco Bay Area African American history. The 7-week course instills a cultural competency with the multi-national and multi-cultural history of African Americans in the Bay Area since the 1700s. February 9 will focus on Gold Rush era abolitionists, February 16 and 23 will guide you through a proposal for an African American Freedom Trail. The general public is invited to attend.

Leading the course is historian John William Templeton, author of Come To The Water, and Cakewalk: An Historical Novel About The Unsung Creators Of Jazz. He also edited Our Roots Run Deep: The Black Experience In California, Vols. 1-4, and contributed African Americans In The West to the Oxford Encyclopedia of African American History: 1619-1890.

EXHIBIT: AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE MARITIME TRADESDaily, throughout February, in the Visitor Center.499 Jefferson Street, corner of Hyde. Free admission. Open 9:30am-5:00pm. Information: 415-447-5000. Wheelchair accessible.View a photo exhibit about African Americans in maritime industries.

THE SAGA OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM SHOREYSaturdays, February 9 and 23, 3pm, In the Visitor Center, 499 Jefferson Street, corner of Hyde. Free admission. Information; 415-447-5000. Wheelchair accessible.

A series of slides presented by Carol Kiser in this ranger-led program will introduce you to the extraordinary life and accomplishments of the only black whaling ship captain on the West Coast.

CHANTEYS: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN CONNECTIONSaturday, February 23, 1-1:45pm, aboard Balclutha, Hyde Street Pier. Ships admission fees apply. Wheelchair accessible. Information; 415-447-5000.

Discover African American and Caribbean work songs of sailors, oarsmen, longshoremen, and fishermen in this ranger-led program. The choruses to these compelling chanteys are easy to learn, and participants will be encouraged to sing along.

CHINESE WHISPERS: TRANSFORMATIONS AND RENEWALSSaturday, February 23, 2:30-4:30, aboard Balclutha. Ships boarding fees apply. Information: Rene Yung, 415-648-1302 or email [e-mail].

In partnership with the park, Chinese Whispers presents Transformations and Renewals: An Afternoon of poetry, Storytelling, and interactive games. The program will celebrate the spirit of transformation in pioneering Chinese immigrant communities in the San Francisco Bay and Sierra Nevada regions. The Chinese Whispers organization is dedicated to preserving the history and telling the stories of the Chinese in California and the West.

SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY EXPOSaturday, March 2, 11-5, and Sunday, March 3, 110-4. In The Old Mint, 88 Fifth Street, at Mission. free admission. Information: http://www.sfhistoryexpo.org

The expo brings together a large number of San Francisco history organizations under one roof. See the park's information booth and scow schooner Alma model.

LINKS

https://www.nps.gov/safr/ San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
https://www.museum.nps.gov/parkindex.aspx (Then pick San Francisco Maritime NHP from the park list) The museum catalog records.

http://www.keys.bywatersolutions.com The Maritime Library's catalog.

http://www.fullfathomcollections.blogspot.com Maritime Library and Collections blog.

http://www.maritime.org San Francisco Maritime National Park Association, the park's cooperating association.

http://www.maritimelibraryfriends.org The Maritime Library's cooperating association.

http://www.hydestreetlivinghistory.org The park Living History program's volunteer created and managed website.

http://www.corsair-viking.org The San Francisco Sea Scouts, the park's partner in Aquatic Park.

http://www.weplayers.org Theatre company and park partner.

http://www.chinese-whispers.org Organization preserving Chinese immigrant history.

http://www.sfhistoryexpo.org San Francisco History Expo