COURTESY OF THE PILGRIM MONUMENT AND PROVINCETOWN MUSEUM: A ledger from the whaling schooner Cetacean recently acquired will be on display at the museum this weekend.
PROVINCETOWN – The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum will display a recently acquired ledger from a whaling ship this weekend.
The account book from the Provincetown schooner Cetacean outlines the provisions purchased for voyages and sales made of whale oil.
Museum Executive Director Dr. David Weidner says the ledger is a significant addition to the collection.
“It enhances or knowledge of the vessel that actually docked at Provincetown Harbor and provides a glimpse into what the Whaling industry was in Provincetown in the 1960s,” Weidner said.
Weidner said the museum is pleased that Stephen Borkowski, the Collections Committee chairman, was able to locate the piece.
“These kinds of ledgers rarely survive in such good condition,” Weidner said. “And also, it’s quite rare for them to be sold.”
The piece will be displayed at the museum from Friday through Sunday in conjunction with the Moby Dick Marathon at the Provincetown Public Library.
At some point the ledger will be part of the museum’s permanent whaling history exhibition.
“We have a very nice display around the whaling history of Provincetown and we certainly believe the Cetacean schonner’s ledger would become part of that more permanent collection for people to view and to understand,” Weidner said.
The weekend display will also include several pieces of scrimshaw from other voyages of the Cetacean.
The museum is expanding its programming this season for residents and visitors.
“We will be having evenings at the monument. We’ll have a lot of music programs, literary programs,” Weidner said. “We encourage folks to check out our website which actually details our activities calendar.”
A large clam bake and lobster roll fest will be held on July 4.
The museum’s website is pilgrim-monument.org.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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