The Annapolis Maritime Museum seems to be everywhere - and nowhere - all at once.
The museum is sponsoring weekly summer lunchtime concerts at the Annapolis City Dock; its staff is located temporarily at an office in Eastport; and some of its exhibits are housed at sites throughout the city.
But its buildings along Back Creek near the Severn River stand abandoned, the crumbled walls and boarded holes evidence of the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Isabel almost a year ago.
The disarray created by the storm, however, has enabled museum officials to regroup and focus their energies on areas they said will create the cornerstone for the Annapolis Maritime Museum. Officials also will soon launch a campaign to fund renovations for its two buildings - the old McNasby Oyster Co. on Second Street and the Barge House just behind it - both of which they hope to reopen in the spring.
"What this disaster did for us was really gave us the impetus to marshal our resources," said the museum's director, Jeff Holland. "The community's really rallied behind us.
The museum was born from the Eastport Historical Society, which was formed in the mid-1980s and provided community programs for the Eastport area of Annapolis.
A 1999 focus group convinced society members that Annapolis had "a bigger story to tell" about its ties to the water, Holland said. The historical society evolved into the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and the first exhibits opened in the McNasby building in 2002.
Damage from Isabel
Tropical Storm Isabel, which hit in September, brought 6 feet of water into the McNasby building, and wind and flying debris crumbled parts of three walls. Before the storm, volunteers had removed most of the museum's collections, but some artifacts and administrative documents were lost, said L.B. "Buck" Buchanan, chairman of the museum's board of directors.
The buildings will need repairs and renovations, including installation of wheelchair access and a heating system. The museum's docks and piers will also have to be rebuilt.
Holland also said he would like to open a children's museum and reopen the cafe that was in the McNasby building when Isabel hit.
About 100 volunteers have logged more than 2,000 hours of service for the museum.
Officials moved into temporary offices in December and have increased the number of people on its board of directors.
