Located about two miles from downtown Wolfeboro near the shores of Lake Wentworth, the museum is loaded with vessels that provide glimpses into what life was like over the years on the state’s lakes and rivers. Here hands-on displays allow boat lovers to try tying various nautical knots, landlubber families to learn marine terms, and Lakes Region visitors to test their knowledge of Lake Winnipesaukee’s history. Lectures, boat-building programs, and events are among the offerings.
Founded in 1992, the museum was located in the boat-friendly towns of Meredith and Weirs before moving to Wolfeboro 10 years ago.
There’s a swing-era atmosphere inside the museum, which is housed in what was the Allen “A’’ Resort dance hall and theater. Visitors walk along a hardwood floor among black-and-white photographs, classic outboard motors, and powerboat race trophies as big band music plays. The former stage contains memorabilia including the replica of a 1930s boat and motor repair shop and several well-maintained canoes and kayaks.
One canoe, built in Auburndale, is from the time when gentlemen would paddle with their dates on the Charles River. Several canoe builders operated in Boston and its environs during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The graceful Courting Canoe is 18 feet long and perfect for bringing along a picnic basket. Boston police officers are said to have patrolled the river in those days to make sure activities in the vessels remained above board.
There is a romance linked to wooden boats, which need the deft hand of a skilled woodworker to restore them and keep them afloat. Wolfeboro’s George F. Johnson was such a man. One of the museum’s founding fathers, Johnson was a wooden boat dealer and restorer known for his restorative work and incredibly messy desk. He died in 2007 but his green wooden desk is on display along with the “Walk In’’ and “Gone’’ signs he hung on his door.
