Antique Boat Museum, Clayton

About Antique Boat Museum

Antique Boat Museum collects, preserves, and displays boats and related artifacts to advance understanding of boating's importance to North American cultural history and the St. Lawrence River. The waterfront campus spans 4.5 acres with 1900 feet of dockage along 1300 feet of river shoreline. Ten buildings contain 29,000 square feet of exhibit space where visitors explore the museum's boat collection and maritime heritage. The campus also includes collections storage, archives, and a library supporting the exhibits and public programs. Additional boat collection storage of 20,000 square feet operates nearby. Visitors experience displays celebrating the area's rich boating heritage, which began when enthusiasts organized an antique boat show in 1965. That annual gathering evolved into this national institution located in Clayton, New York. The museum accepts volunteers of all ages and operates as a nonprofit educational organization.