Fatal Passage: The Transatlantic Trade in Human Lives

FAIN: ZPP-284012-22

Mel Fisher Museum (Key West, FL 33040-6516)
Melissa Kendrick (Project Director: May 2021 to November 2023)

Creation of a permanent exhibit and related public online resources, focused on the maritime slave trade in North America within the context of Florida; retention of seven employees and creation of four contract positions.

The maritime slave trade in North America begins and ends in Florida. It starts with the servants of the early conquistadors and the founding of St. Augustine in 1565. It continues through the abolition of the maritime trade in 1808, to the clandestine voyages that continued to supply North America with forced labor until slavery itself was abolished in the US. The museum has shipwreck artifacts spanning from 1600 through 1860, enabling it to provide hard evidence of all periods of the trade. Since 1995, the museum has toured two exhibitions on the slave trade nationally but was never able to show the collection onsite due to space restrictions. In 2020, the museum became able to double the size of its public areas. Unfortunately, due to the impact of COVID on revenue, installation resources dried up. The request is to support a 4,000 sf permanent installation, accompanied by a related free online resource.