H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego

The H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego has been serving Central New York since 1982 as the only maritime-themed museum on the American shores of Lake Ontario. Our mission is to "collect, preserve, and promote the maritime historical resources of Lake Ontario, the Oswego River, and Oswego Canal". Our campus includes a main museum facility with exhibition halls telling over 400 years of regional maritime history, heritage, and culture. The HLWMM is also home to a fleet of historic vessels including the National Historic Landmark WWII Tugboat LT-5, the National Register of Historic Places NYS Canal vessel Derrick Boat no. 8, and the last commercial fishing vessel on Lake Ontario, Eleanor D. We serve as stewards of the iconic Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse, providing public educational access by boat to visitors.

Exhibits

On September 17th, 2022 the H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego will be celebrating 200 years of lighthouse history in Oswego, NY with free admissions, and a special talk by curator Michael Pittavino - coauthor of Lighthouses & Life-Saving at Oswego.

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.