National War of 1812 Exhibit Travels to West End Museum

The West End Museum in partnership with Historic New England, presents War of 1812: A Nation Forged by War. The show, a travelling mini-exhibit on loan from the National Museum of the United States Navy in Washington D.C., commemorates the bicentennial anniversary of the War of 1812. The show complements Ropewalks of the West End and Beyond, an exhibit on display at the West End Museum in the Main Exhibit Hall through October 27. War of 1812: A Nation Forged by War will remain at the Museum until September 26.

War of 1812: A Nation Forged by War highlights the prominent role of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Revenue Cutter Service in bringing Great Britain to the negotiating table and forcing European recognition of a truly independent United States. The exhibit tells the stories of heroic U.S. Navy crews in battles on the oceans and Great Lakes, as well as the contributions of sailors in celebrated land battles from Canada to Louisiana. Visitors with smart phones can access additional content by scanning the QR code on displayed graphic panels.

Sparked by conflicting maritime policies and competing western expansion along the U.S.-Canadian frontier, the War of 1812 lasted from June 18, 1812 to February 18, 1815 when the U.S. and Great Britain ratified the Treaty of Ghent. The treaty was first signed in December 1814 when, after two-and-a-half years of war, the young republic and the world’s leading superpower found themselves in a stalemate and concluded a fair and equitable peace.

According to Dr. Edward Furgol, curator of the National Museum of the United States Navy, “The Navy played an essential role in preserving the strategic status quo that led to an unconditional peace with Britain in December 1814.” The favorable outcome greatly elevated the international standing of the U.S. and boosted Americans’ self-confidence at a critical time in the nation’s history.

The U.S.S. Constitution, the Navy’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat, is most renowned for her actions in the War of 1812 when she captured many merchant ships and defeated five British warships including the HMS Guerriere. The battle with Guerriere earned the Constitution the nickname “Old Ironsides.” On August 19, Old Ironsides set sail under her own power for just the second time in more than a century, cruising Boston Harbor to mark the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere. It was a West End ropewalk that supplied the anchor cable to the Constitution upon her construction in 1797. A fife and drum corps and 293 men paraded the 720-foot, 22-inch diameter, 15,000-pound anchor cable from the Jeffreys and Russell ropewalk to Hartt’s shipyard in the North End (now the Coast Guard Station).