Laura Jernegan: A Girl on a Whaleship

FAIN: GM-50440-05

Martha's Vineyard Museum (Vineyard Haven, MA 02568-5515)
Lynne Whiting (Project Director: September 2004 to February 2006)

Consultation to plan both an online exhibition and a permanent exhibition around a diary kept by a six-year-old girl on a whaling voyage from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to the South Seas in 1868.

"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. This is a We The People Project; Families and Youth Programs in American History.