National Portal to Historic Collections

On this ax, the blade is marked 'NYW' over the initials of the naval officer who inspected the weapon. The markings on the reverse of the blade indicate that the weapon was returned to the New York Navy Yard in 1832 for inventory or refurbishing.

This Chinese porcelain punch bowl was made for Commodore Thomas Truxtun who served in the Revolution and went on to become the first captain of the USS <i>Constellation</i> in 1798. While a merchant in Philadelphia, Truxtun ordered this monogrammed bowl and one almost identical to it for his good friend, George Washington. The Washington bowl, now on display at Mount Vernon, is inscribed, "Defender", a reference to Washington as the Defender of the Country.

The people of Essex County and Salem, Massachusetts, presented the 36-gun frigate <i>Essex</i> to the U.S. Navy in 1799. Within weeks she began active service in the Quasi-War with France. <i>Essex</i> had two tours of duty in the Mediterranean against the Barbary pirates between 1801 and 1805. Captain David Porter commanded her throughout the War of 1812. In a single cruise in the summer of 1812 she captured ten prizes. Porter's journey to the Pacific, where he decimated the English whaling fleet, brought <i>Essex</i> greater renown. She took 15 prizes and forced the Royal Navy to send two frigates after her. <i>Essex</i>'s epic engagement against <i>Phoebe</i> and <i>Cherub</i> ended with Porter surrendering when his losses became too great to continue resistance. The British retained <i>Essex</i> until auctioning her off in 1837. This exquisite bone model was made by French prisoners of war held in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century.

David G. Farragut, later a famous Civil War admiral, owned this sword while a midshipman on board the frigate, <i>Essex</i>, in 1813. The sword is of the type carried by U.S. Navy officers in the 1803-1815 period.

This 19th-century ceramic bottle once held ginger beer.