The Jacksonville Maritime Museum (JMM) - now known as the Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center - tells the maritime history of Jacksonville, Florida, USA, and the First Coast through its connection to the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. Its collection includes large scale models of ships from the Mayflower to present day vessels, as well as paintings, photographs and artifacts dating to 1562.
The Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center began as the Jacksonville Maritime Museum in 1987 and is operated by the Jacksonville Maritime Museum Society, Inc., a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Its goal is to provide a resource that illustrates the local impact of maritime trade and the many aspects of the maritime environment.
The Jacksonville Landing allowed the museum to use unoccupied retail space to display their collection of large scale model ships for seven years, beginning in 1990. Then Society President Lockhart explained, "Every time they would get a new tenant, they would move us to another empty space." That situation occurred five times in seven years. In mid-November, 1997, the museum was given seven days to vacate in preparation for a new tenant. "This time, they just ran out of empty space," commented Lockhart. Many exhibits were put into storage or loaned.
Beginning in 1993, their primary facility was located in a 1500 sq.ft² enclosed pavilion on the South bank of the Jacksonville Riverwalk, near Friendship Fountain. It remained there for nearly 18 years until it returned to the Jacksonville Landing and reopened in January, 2011 for a lower monthly rent.
The new location is on the ground floor, east side, and accommodates the display of more items. Ship models that were loaned out for display at other places were returned to the Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center. The space includes an interactive children's display and a theatre with seating for 60.
The museum houses hundreds of artifacts and includes permanent exhibits on the USS Saratoga (CV-60) and Napoleon B. Broward’s Three Friends Tugboat. Popular exhibits include St. Johns Riverboats, Shipbuilding in Jacksonville and the RMS Titanic diorama.
The largest model formerly on display in the museum was that of the World War II U. S. Navy heavy cruiser, the USS Louisville (CA-28). The 18-foot model was loaned to Jacksonville by its builder, Ray Arthur, then given to the Frazier Museum after the JMM declared it surplus to its needs.
At the society's board of directors meeting in August 2015, they voted to dissolve the museum at the end of the calendar year. The museum received no financial support from the city government, and memberships and donations were not enough to cover the $45,000 budget of the volunteer-run non-profit.
