Laura Jernegan: Girl on a Whaleship

FAIN: GI-50024-08

Martha's Vineyard Museum (Vineyard Haven, MA 02568-5515)
Keith P. Gorman (Project Director: January 2008 to June 2011)

Implementation of a virtual exhibition for family audiences about the social and economic history of New England whaling, using as its centerpiece a shipboard journal written by a child during a voyage in 1868-71.

"Laura Jernegan; Girl on a Whaleship" will be an on-line exhibition for children and families to learn about the history of the New England whaling industry and its impact around the world. Using as its centerpiece, the diary of Laura Jernegan, a young girl on a whaling voyage in the mid-1800?s, the exhibition will engage diverse audiences with its unique perspective. The project will provide contextual information, using both primary sources and interpretation to create learning experiences for the public, to broaden their knowledge, clarify the myths and lead them to pathways for more information. The whaling industry in New England lasted approximately 300 years, leading ships and their crews farther and farther from home in search of whales. Through this website, visitors will learn about this business, the hunt for whales and the processing of them on the ship and later on shore, the tools, the crews and their roles, work and leisure on a whaleship, and the whales themselves.