As our current exhibit: "They Came by Sea: Portland Harbor, A Tourist Destination," illustrates, Portland Harbor's uses have changed over the years. In the nineteenth century, people escaped to the islands and coastline here in the Portland area to avoid the pollution and industrialization of the cities. Now, after decades of polluting and then revitalization, people are coming back to Portland Harbor once again to enjoy its fresh views, cultural attractions and, of course, the lobster!

This wonderful influx of visitors has brought some worries to the surface. One of the pressing questions now facing Portland is how to manage all of these visitors. Many of the tourists are arriving on cruise ships. Just this summer we had over fifty visits from ships! They carry visitors who are interested in seeing what Portland has to offer, but they are having difficulties doing this because the berthing space on the Portland waterfront is limited. In order to combat this problem, the City of Portland has proposed a new multi-million dollar facility called the Ocean Gateway that would house multiple ship berths and a customs center. The City has proposed the east end of the harbor as the location for Oceangate, leaving the west end free for commercial and industrial shipping. Some residents are opposed to the development on the grounds that it will require more parking and it will produce more traffic in an already-crowded city.

At Portland Harbor Museum, we feel that the proposed building would be a valuable addition to the Portland waterfront. Not only would it bring in more tourist dollars, but it would enhance the accessibility to our city. This is the perfect opportunity to "show-off" our pride in our town and its unique waterfront to our visitors. In conjunction with this, Portland Harbor Museum has also begun speaking with the Port of Portland about gaining some exhibit space in the new facility. Our relationship with SMTC continues to be good, but we are running out of space in our present facility. The Oceangate facility would allow us ample room for our growing collections, and also a great deal of exposure to the new visitors ships like the Queen Elizabeth II are bringing into port. This would be a prized opportunity for PHM. We feel that a centrally located facility would allow us to better serve all of the communities of Portland Harbor. Of course, we welcome your input. We do have the Oceangate plans on exhibit and would like you to stop in a see them and tell us your opinion. This is an thrilling time for Portland's waterfront, and Portland Harbor Museum hopes to play an integral part in the excitement!