As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, we have started recovering pieces that were stolen from our archival collection. This week I want to share some more pieces that have most recently been returned.
Cunard White Star Line, Tourist Class brochure from 1949
Our latest exhibit is now open in the Library. American Classics: The First Half Century of Chris-Craft will be on display through May, 2014.
The legacy of Chris-Craft is rich in both tradition and innovation—the glossy mahogany hulls they built remain instantly recognizable as the epitome of classic pleasure boats. And with additional model lines that eventually included aluminum, plywood, steel, and fiberglass hulls—as well as kit boats and sailboats—there was a Chris-Craft designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of buyers around the world.
A different twist this week: a phone-a-visitor. In conjunction with my volunteering at the Chris-Craft Archives at The Mariners’ Museum library at Christopher Newport University, we receive phone calls from all over the world concerning various Chris-Craft boats. The mode of reference for research and responses to the callers usually hinges on the hull number of the boat as given at the time of construction. This is the basic requirement. I took a call from a gentlemen from New Hampshire who said that he had a hull plate from a Chris-Craft, but that is all! He did not know if the boat still existed, as it may have sunk, wrecked, or just died. At any rate, he wants plans and drawing so that he can build the boat around the hull number, as he is a boat builder and can use CAD (computer aided design) to accomplish this effort. ( 37-foot boat) While we may never know the end of this story, but I can assure you this will be “one hull of a boat”!
