In this week’s episode, we sit down with author Steven Ujifusa to discuss his new book Barons of the Sea, and Their Race to Build the World’s Fastest Clipper Ship, which will be out this Tuesday, July 17. Steven will tell us about 19th century drug smuggling, what it meant to trade for tea in China or gold in California, and why America’s most prominent families were involved in the shipping business. Most of all, he’ll tell us about the East Boston shipyard where Donald McKay built the fastest, most graceful ships the world had ever seen.
Barons of the Sea
- Steven Ujifusa’s website
- Twitter | Facebook
- Catch Steven at the East Boston Social Centers on July 26, 2018 for a talk and book signing, complete with sea chantey singing and a tour of Donald McKay’s house.
- Boston institutions funded by the 19th century opium trade.
- In this 1851 map of East Boston, look for McKay’s shipyard just to the right of the “I” in Mystic River.
Featured Historic Site
Does our conversation with Steven put you in a nautical mood? Down in Fall River, Battleship Cove maritime museum holds the world’s largest collection of World War II naval vessels. Located at the heart of the waterfront at the mouth of the Taunton River, the memorial traces its founding to the wartime crew of the USS Massachusetts. After WWII, they fought to save the ship from being scrapped, and today you can visit it at Battleship Cove.
Visitors can also view the destroyer USS Joseph P Kennedy, which was built at the Fore River yard in Quincy and named after JFK’s father. Or, they can take in the current exhibit “A Sailor’s Life: The Story Behind the Steel,” which tells the personal stories of sailors who served in World War II.
For the summer season, the museum is open 9am to 5pm daily, and adult admission is $25.
Upcoming Event
Don’t miss Wearing Works Of Art: Collecting And Fashioning Vintage Style at the Eustis Estate in Milton on Thursday, July 19th, at 7:30pm.
From the event website:
In connection with the special exhibition Head to Toe, Historic New England welcomes art historian and Egyptologist Dr. Colleen Manassa Darnell for a lecture on crafting your own vintage style. Dr. Darnell wears vintage nearly every day, mostly from the 1920s, even while doing excavations in Egypt. Find out how to find the right eras for your personal style and how to make vintage workable for your everyday adventures.
Enjoy refreshments and a 1920s-inspired drink and explore the house before the lecture. Streamline Antiques will be on hand with vintage wares to try on for yourself.
Tickets are $25, and advanced reservation is recommended. Doors open at 6:30pm to give you time to explore the property.