The Island’s rich history, as told by Vineyarders themselves, was on full display in a recent Emmy-nominated PBS television series called “Treasures Inside the Museum.”
The episode, which was a part of the seventh season of the series, featured the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and was filmed on its campus in Vineyard Haven. It is now available to stream online.
“We are honored to be included in a series that highlights the vital role regional museums play in preserving and sharing local history,” said Heather Seger, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, in a press release. “This episode offers viewers a deeper understanding of the objects, research, and people who help keep these stories alive.”
The series as a whole is a deep dive into the historical significance of objects and stories, and the way remnants of the past shape the reality of today. The M.V. Museum episode focused on the significance of maritime heritage on Island life through interviews with local experts.
One of the artifacts highlighted was the first-order Fresnel lens from the Gay Head Lighthouse, which is displayed at the museum, where more than 1,000 individual colored glass prisms catch the light from the surrounding windows. Chief curator at the M.V. Museum Bonnie Stacy said in the episode that the lens is a rare remainder of the engineering of the 19th century.
Boating and maritime tradition were highlighted by the research librarian at the museum, Bow Van Riper, who discussed a mutiny that occurred on a whaleship called the Globe. The museum has a wealth of knowledge on the topic, which is now regarded as one of the “most dramatic events in American whaling history,” according to the release.
Island boatbuilder Nat Benjamin, one of the founders of Gannon and Benjamin boatyard in Vineyard Haven, discussed a catboat that was donated to the museum. Chris Murphy, captain of the vessel, named Vanity, was also interviewed. A PBS narrator called the catboat, which was built in 1929, “a living history” of the deeply ocean-oriented Vineyard life and the sailors and boatbuilders who have made their impact here.
Anna Barber, the curator of exhibitions, carefully flipped through 19th century whaling logbooks, which included artistic renderings of the whalers. A painting of right whales stuck out to Barber as a possible show of empathy, through the strokes of a paintbrush, of the violent hunting activity.
“It feels like in so many ways, to be a good whaler, you have to sort of distance yourself from these creatures,” Barber said in the episode. “This drawing has always made me stop to think about really what this person who’s creating this art — for no reason other than to create it — what they’re really thinking about these whales.”
The show’s seventh season debuted on March 15, and was produced by Ocean State Video and Weathervane Communications.