Museum Hours
September through May:
Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
June through August:
Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 1st and 3rd Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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The United States Coast Guard is America’s oldest continuous maritime service. It has a long and complex history, one that is often overlooked by historians. The modern Coast Guard is an amalgamation of five federal agencies. The Revenue Cutter Service (1790) merged with the Life-Saving Service (1878) to form the early Coast Guard in 1915. The Lighthouse Establishment (1789) joined the Coast Guard in 1939. Finally, the Steamboat Inspection Service (1838) and the Bureau of Navigation (1884), which had previously combined in 1932, were incorporated in 1946.The U.S. Coast Guard Museum explores the history of the Coast Guard its many missions from the founding of the Lighthouse Establishment in 1789 through the end of the 20th Century. Highlights include a massive First-Order fresnel lens from a Cape Ann, Massachusetts lighthouse; the original 1936 figurehead of the Academy’s sail-training vessel the USCGC Eagle; a 16th Century Japanese sword surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur by Imperial Japanese Vice Admiral Hisashi Nito, which MacArthur gave to the Coast Guard in recognition for their valiant service in the Pacific campaigns; and a Francis Life Car, an example of innovative design used to make rescuing lives at sea safer and more successful for the rescuers as well as the victims.