On Exhibit
January 26 – May 26, 2008


Please play the video below for a first person account of a visit to the Henrietta Marie wreckage site.

Dive into History

Take an emotional voyage into the past to find courage in the face of unspeakable cruelty—and the boundless endurance of the human spirit.

On a summer day in 1700, stormy seas drove the British merchant ship Henrietta Marie onto a shoal off the Florida Keys, where she broke apart and sank. Over 250 years later, archaeologists exploring her wreckage brought her dark secret to light: the Henrietta Marie was not just any merchant ship—she was a slave ship, carrying dozens of shackles, fine glass beads and pewter bowls that were to be traded for human lives, weapons and many more artifacts used to ply this horrendous trade. To this day, she remains the only excavated slaver in the Americas.

Now you, too, can explore these emotional reminders of the transatlantic slave trade and the stories of pride, courage, strength, and endurance they speak to. Over 90 original artifacts are on exhibit exclusively at The Frazier International History Museum from January 26 through May 26, 2008.