MEL FISHER MARITIME MUSEUM
OPENS NEW "SILVER" EXHIBIT
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit – Le Plata del Mar – Silver of the 1622 Galleons on July 1st. It is the most extensive exhibit of silver of that era ever compiled.
The shipwrecked 1622 galleons Nuestra Senora de Atocha and Santa Margarita were carrying the wealth of the New World to Spain. For each ship, the main cargo was silver chiefly from the mines of Bolivia, and thousands of coins and ingots, as well as other objects created from this precious metal were recovered from the ships’ sunken remains.
This diverse collection of silver artifacts tells stories of the passion of man in the pursuit of wealth, of fantastic discoveries, of mercilessly cruel systems of labor, of stunning artistic achievements, of hope and tragedy, and of a world becoming more dependent on the steady flow of Spanish silver across the seas.
It is appropriate that such an exhibit be made ready for display, given that the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum will celebrate its 25th (silver) anniversary in February 2007.
Don’t miss this exhibit, expected to be on display for one year! The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum at 200 Greene Street in Key West is open from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily - 365 days a year. Admission is $11 for adults, $9.50 for students, and $6.50 for kids.
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum is an independent, not-for-profit 501 c (3) organization that has been nationally-accredited museum by the American Association of Museums. The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition, archaeology, preservation and research of our maritime history in the New World.
This exhibition is funded in part with Historical Museum Grants-In-Aid program assistance provided by the Museum of Florida History, Bureau of Historical Museums, Florida Department of State, the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and the members of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.
