Donating to our Collection

What do we collect?

The Maritime Museum collects material culture relating to the Lower Susquehanna River and Upper Chesapeake Bay region. We have approximately 500 objects, 700 photos, 200 archives and hundreds of books in our Collection. Due to the large number of objects we cannot exhibit everything at the same time, however we do create temporary exhibits in order to tell more stories of the region and showcase our other artifacts in storage.

How do I donate an object to the Maritime Museum?

Please provide the information specified below. This will be presented to the Collections Committee who will decide whether or not the artifact/archival materials match with our mission statement. Please email or mail a picture of the item(s) along with the description. We will contact you when a decision has been made.

Please Note: the Museum does not accept "drive by" donations. We have a process for approving and accepting donations.

- Name
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Mailing Address
- Please describe the artifact, archival material or photograph. What is it made of, etc.
- Do you own the item?
- Where did the item come from? Who owned it before? (This is called provenance)
- What is the history of the artifact?
- Do you have any stories about the item that you think we should know about?
- What are the measurements of the item?
- Where was the item stored? (Was it hot, damp, moldy, etc.)
- Describe the item's condition (poor, fair, good, excellent, new)

Please forward this information to:
Havre de Grace Maritime Museum
Attn: Collections
100 Lafayette St.
Havre de Grace, MD 21078

Or, email all relevant information to: info@hdgmaritimemuseum.org.

Call us at: (410) 939-4800 or contact us here if you have any questions relating to this process or an artifact/object you wish to donate.

What if I do not know the value of the object I have donated?

The easiest way to determine fair market value for an artifact is to research the artifact on the internet and see what sellers and dealers are listing for similar objects.

Why can't the Maritime Museum assign a value to my donated artifact?

It is unethical for the Maritime Museum to place a value on artifacts which are donated to the Museum.

When is an appraisal required?

If you wish to take a tax deduction and your donation is valued at or over $5,000.00, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that a certified appraisal be performed within a period of 60 days of the donation.