The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum recently announced the opening of “Shrimpin’ Ain’t Easy,” a refresh and expansion of its exhibit highlighting the local shrimping history.
Over the last several months, museum staff have worked with representatives of the local families tied to St. Augustine’s shrimping industry. The exhibit features more detail and in-depth stories about the origins of shrimping in the city and the multicultural influences impacting the rapid growth of the industry. During World War II, soldiers training in St. Augustine encountered fried shrimp for the first time and carried that love of shrimp back home with them. Following the war, local shrimpers targeted the seafood markets of New York City to increase demand and found their tactic worked well.
“The story of St. Augustine’s shrimping industry is a multi-generational story of a group of families tied to the ocean. Their sacrifices, trials and successes help define the history of our community,” said Capt. Bob Buehn, U.S. Navy (retired) and chairperson of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum Board of Trustees. “We are proud to share this story with the public, and we want to thank those who have given so much to make this happen.”
The exhibit is housed in the Anastasia Gallery on the second floor of the 1877 Keepers’ House located on the grounds of the historic St. Augustine Light Station. Access to the exhibit is included in the price of admission to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.
The new exhibit will showcase firsthand stories, letters, photographs and objects from the families that worked in the shrimping industry in St. Augustine. In 2013, Captains Brendan Burke and Ed Long published a book titled, “Shrimp Boat City,” documenting the history of the local shrimping industry. Copies of the book are available through the museum gift shop and online through the museum website at www.staugustinelighthouse.org.
To donate towards this exhibit and to help save the history of St. Augustine’s shrimping industry, contact Tanya Rhodes at trhodes@staugustinelighthouse.org or make a donation online through the Museum’s website at www.staugustinelighthouse.org and click donate.
The museum thanked Grace Paaso and John Versaggi for their assistance in the development of the new exhibit, and offered a special thanks to Ed Long and Brendan Burke, whose hours of research and interviews became the basis for the exhibit and helps to preserve this important and dramatic maritime history.
For more details about the museum, go to www.staugustinelighthouse.org or call (904) 829-0745.
