Feeling Thankful for Volunteers: Historic Interpretation aboard Philadelphia II

By Olivia Olson, Public Programs and Volunteer Manager

Every year, Mike Beller makes the six-and-a-half-hour drive from his home in Pennsylvania to Vermont to serve as a volunteer historic interpreter aboard Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s replica Revolutionary War gunboat, Philadelphia II (also known as PII). Mike began interpreting aboard PII in 2012, after he visited the Museum with his family. He was immediately enthralled by the story of the Battle of Valcour Island and PII’s decisive role in the American Revolution. After scouring the library shelves and meeting with staff and other volunteer interpreters, Mike learned about all aspects of daily life and battle aboard PII and was ready to bring the ship to life for Museum visitors.

A group of children board the Revolutionary War replica gunboat Philadelphia II on the green at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

This past fall, Mike returned for this 12^th year to spend a weekend engaging Museum guests in fascinating conversation aboard Philadelphia II. To Mike, the most important part of historic interpretation is connecting visitors with the parts of the story they are most interested in learning about. He says, “I wanted to ensure that every visitor felt welcome to board the ship.  I also wanted to assure them that I would be tailoring our discussions to focus on those aspects of the PII they would be most interested in.  To that end, I would offer every visitor a number of different subject areas relating to the PII and ask them to identify those areas of greatest interest.” Museum guests, with Mike’s help, were able to imagine life aboard Philadelphia during the 3-day Battle of Valcour, which took place October 11-13, 1776. Visitors learned about “the design of the boat, the Battle of Valcour Island, the recruitment of the crew, life aboard the PII, Benedict Arnold’s battle strategy, the loading and firing of the 9- and 12-pound cannons and swivel guns, a comparison of the size and firepower of the opposing fleets.” You name it, Mike can tell you about it!

Mike Beller (left) engaging Museum visitors aboard Philadelphia II while she was docked in North Harbor at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

By interpreting the artifacts and the ship, Mike connected Museum visitors to the lives of people who experienced the battle and had to survive and live in the physical spaces of the boat. Mike reiterates that the experience visitors have aboard the replica gunboat helps “ensure that visitors have a clear understanding of some of the daunting challenges facing the crewmen who served on these boats.” In speaking with Mike, visitors could imagine the scenes of battle and escape by illustrative narrative and physical touchstones. Guests felt how heavy the 20.5-foot oars are (60 pounds, to be exact), which were used to silently paddle past the Loyalist fleet after dark.

Visitors imagined squeezing in between frames to sleep on the deck alongside 43 other men. They held soldiers’ personal belongings including a broken spoon with initials etched into the handle and a brass shoe buckle. Mike says, “I’d encourage them to guess the size of the PII’s crew, or guess why, when they were recruiting crewmen from the militia units stationed at Fort Ticonderoga, the officers always preferred to recruit men who could not swim. I would also ask if they were interested in human interest stories such as how they were able to obtain the Philadelphia’s crew list nearly 200 years after the battle.”

To Mike, the enduring message of Philadelphia II is the perseverance and courage displayed by the patriot soldiers who were fighting the most powerful navy in the world. He says, “It is encouraging to learn that most of the men who served on the Philadelphia and her sister ships fought so hard and so well despite their limited resources.”

After three days of connecting with guests and telling the story of Philadelphia, Mike stepped off the boat and onto dry land. We look forward to having Mike again next year for the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution and inviting more folks aboard Philadelphia. If you are interested in becoming a Museum docent, please contact oliviao@lcmm.org.