National Museum of the Great Lakes Unveils Every Boat Tells Our Story, a New Permanent Exhibit

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July 16, 2025 (Toledo, Ohio) – The National Museum of the Great Lakes recently opened Every Boat Tells Our Story, a permanent exhibit that invites visitors to step inside the battles, triumphs, and everyday labors that have defined the Inland Seas for centuries.

Housed in the museum’s newly completed World Group Foundation Gallery, the exhibit combines artifacts with hands-on experiences:

  • 16 meticulously crafted model boats — 12 from the Bob Sellers Collection — trace the evolution of Great Lakes shipbuilding, from schooners and modern freighters to a canoe and fish tug.

  • A full-scale pilothouse from the St. Marys Challenger—considered the world’s longest continuously operating vessel—offers a year-round accessible glimpse into life on the Lakes.

  • Interactive profiles spotlight the people who changed the lakes’ history, including civil-rights pioneer Sarah Elizabeth Ray, who fought—and won—a landmark Supreme Court case after being denied passage aboard the Boblo Boat Columbia in 1945.

Funded in part by the World Group Foundation and the Schoonmaker Foundation, the gallery pairs model boats, archival photos, oral histories, and interactive displays to illuminate both well-known and overlooked stories of innovation, immigration, and perseverance.

“Every artifact here—whether a hand-built model or a copper ingot—carries a human story,” added Carrie Sowden, NMGL director of archaeology and research. “Our goal is to honor those stories and inspire the next generation to invest in the future of our region and find their own Great Lakes story.”

Every Boat Tells Our Story is included with regular museum admission and is open daily (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday–Saturday; noon – 5 p.m. Sunday). Tickets and membership information are available at nmgl.org or by calling 419-214-5000.

About the National Museum of the Great Lakes: The National Museum of the Great Lakes preserves, shares, and celebrates the past, present, and future of the Great Lakes story. As an interactive, experiential museum, we offer visitors the chance to explore thousands of years of history and stories through three dynamic exhibit galleries—including a rotating temporary exhibition space—and two historic museum vessels, the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship and the Museum Tug Ohio, plus the pilothouse of the storied St. Marys Challenger.

Founded in 1944 as the Great Lakes Historical Society, we have a long-standing commitment to education, research, and storytelling. Our initiatives include the publication of Inland Seas®, a quarterly journal of Great Lakes history since 1945 and decades of maritime preservation and archaeological exploration. Today, we strive to be the gathering place for Great Lakes conversations—welcoming all to connect with the stories, people, and innovations that have shaped and continue to influence this vital region.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Streichert Lovejoy, 419-460-8181