Where the past of the Old World meets the New…

The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society was founded in 1982 and is an independent, non-profit, educational organization whose purpose is to preserve, research, exhibit, and provide public education concerning the Spanish and Colonial history of the Americas. The Society is the parent organization and specializes in research, excavation, and publications. The Society is committed to enlarging its collection and neither sells not derives income from the sale of historical artifacts. The Museum is a subsidiary of the Society and presents exhibitions and public programs.
The museum was awarded Accreditation from the American Association of Museums - the highest honor a museum can receive.  Less than 4.5% of the nation's museums have received accreditation.

The Society’s archaeological team and its large conservation laboratories provide a resource for shipwreck projects throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Our archaeologists are currently excavating a wreck site near Grand Bahamas, the St. John’s Wreck, which dates from the 1500s.

Membership Benefits:

Visit the Museum free of charge all year long.

Receive our bi-monthly newsletter, The Navigator, featuring articles about our excavations, artifacts from the collection, and the calendar of upcoming events.

Get a 10% discount in the Museum store and on all our paid programs, such as our underwater archaeology course.

Invitations to special events including our annual Radio Auction Preview Party and free admission to Mote Marine Laboratory.

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Your donation will support:

Exploration of the Past:

Since 1991 the Society has concentrated its archaeological expertise on mapping and excavating two important shipwrecks:

The Henrietta Marie is an English merchant slaver that sank in 1700. It is the only slaving vessel that sank in the Americas during the course of trade which has been archaeologically excavated.

The St. John’s Wreck is a Spanish vessel that has been tentatively dated 1550-1570. Under excavation since 1991, it promises to reveal the secrets of the early explorer and the discoveries that led to the development of the European colonies in the Americas.

Education for the Future:

Lectures for family audiences introduce the early history of the Americas and its dependence on maritime trade.

After-school and summer programs for children provide hands-on experiences of history, ecology, and seafaring.

All young visitors to the museum receive a special "exhibition exploration" brochure, free of charge, enabling them to enjoy the exhibition through a creative learning experience.

The Society offers tours to school groups, elder hostellers, and specialty audiences. Tours for young people center on multi-disciplinary education and feature concepts from mathematics and astronomy as well as history.

Exhibitions for today:

The changing modules of the permanent exhibition feature the Nuestra Señora de Atocha and Santa Margarita. These Spanish galleons sank in the Florida Keys laden with cargoes of gold and silver, emeralds, and amethysts as well as the humbler cargoes, arms and ordnance, and the personal possessions that might be expected on ships of this kind.

Temporary exhibitions feature special subjects in maritime history, such as European and Indian contact, pirates, and underwater exploration.

Traveling exhibits bring our collection to new audiences across the country. A Slave Ship Speaks: the Wreck of the Henrietta Marie fas been seen by over a million people in 27 cities throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.

For more information please contact our Membership Benefits Manager, Stacey Weimer at 305-294-2633, x36 or by e-mail.

Click Here to Print Membership Application

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