Snow Squall: South Portland’s Clipper Ship

Join South Portland Historical Society’s Seth Goldstein at the Main Library on Wednesday, October 15th at 6:30pm for a fascinating presentation on the South Portland-built clipper ship Snow Squall.

Using the Snow Squall as his departure point, Seth will discuss a variety of topics connected to clipper ships. At least four clipper ships were built in South Portland (Cape Elizabeth at the time). The Snow Squall was built at the Cornelius Butler shipyard on Turner’s Island in 1851. Today the Snow Squall is the only remaining American built clipper ship. She was abandoned in the Falkland Islands in 1864 after she ran aground trying to negotiate a passage around the infamous Cape Horn. The Snow Squall’s hull was incorporated into a jetty on the shore of Stanley’s Harbor in the Falklands until a group of maritime historians and archeologists, based out of South Portland, salvaged the ship’s bow section in the 1980s. The recovered bow was brought back to Maine where it is currently on exhibit at the Maine Maritime Museum.

Seth Goldstein grew up on Cape Cod where he developed his passion for maritime history. He received his bachelor’s degree in European History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and his master’s degree in World History from Northeastern University. His research interests include the historic North Atlantic fishery, global piracy, New England shipwrecks and lighthouses, the whaling industry and Maine’s connection to Atlantic World African enslavement. He has worked for Greater Portland Landmarks and the Portland Harbor Museum. Seth is affiliated with the Atlantic Black Box Project, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to uncovering and sharing New England’s marginalized history. He has taught at the University of New England, Southern Maine Community College and the Maine College of Art and Design. He is currently the Director of the Cushing’s Point Museum at Bug Light Park and Director of Development for the South Portland Historical Society.

You may also like the following events from South Portland Public Library:

• This Thursday, 9th October, 02:00 pm, Nature Journaling: Marine Life in South Portland
• This Thursday, 9th October, 03:30 pm, Fresh Food Event with The Locker Project in South Portland

Also check out other Arts events in South Portland.