Reflecting on Trails & Sails 2025

This year, we were delighted to once again be part of the Essex National Heritage Area’s Trails & Sails program! Trails & Sails is a series of free events that invite the public to explore Essex County through unique experiences on both land and sea.

 

We began with the Find Your Inner Poet workshop with Latina Bohemian to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month! The session opened with a reading and reflection on her poem Rising Through Burnt Ashes. Through thoughtful discussion and collaboration, participants created and shared their own poems, fostering a sense of peace, creativity, and healing.

 

 

Throughout the program, several of our wonderful docents were in the Museum to lead 60-minute, in-depth tours of our permanent exhibition, Industry and Craft. Visitors left with a deeper appreciation of the great city of Lynn and its rich industrial past. A special thank you to Patricia Lee and Sarah Caliento for sharing their time and knowledge!

 

Our Collections Manager, Christopher Locke, also presented a lecture titled Don’t Forget Our Old Shipmate: The Story of an Enslaved Patriot. He told the remarkable story of Esau Bancroft, a twelve-year-old from Lynn who joined a privateer vessel in service of the fledgling United States in 1780. Christopher’s extensive research brought Esau’s little-known story to life in a captivating way.

 

 

To round out the program, we welcomed photographer Alexis Lamontagne for Still Secrets: Smartphone Photography Workshop. Alexis guided participants through our second-floor galleries, demonstrating how to capture stunning photos using just a phone’s camera and settings. The group then ventured outside to photograph the changing landscape as summer turned to fall.

 

 

Trails & Sails is such a special program that celebrates the history, creativity, and community of Essex County. Thank you to Essex Heritage for including us, to our incredible workshop leaders and presenters, and to everyone who joined us for this year’s events!