The Mathews Maritime Museum is owned and operated by the Foundation. Our vision is to provide means to research, preserve and educate the community and others in the past, current, and future maritime activities associated with and inherent to Mathews County, Virginia. Mathews County was once home to over 19 shipyards and was one of the nation's leading builders of ships. This heritage is disappearing and the knowledge thereof is also fading from the minds and consciousness of the community. Residents and tourists alike are ofter unaware of the rich maritime background woven into the threads of families and the nation's history. Our history and the fabric of who we are is unraveling. It was on this premise that the Foundation was incorporated in 1999. Since that time we have established a maritime museum with over 2700 artifacts related to the County's maritime history, documented sites of sunken vessels, offered family boat building days, instituted a monthly lecture series, published a maritime calendar, established a Mathews Maritime Heritage Trail, initiated a boat donor program to provide income for our projects and activities, and given the youth of our community learning and volunteer opportunities.
