Bayshore Center at Bivalve

Environmental History Museum

The Bayshore Center at Bivalve is New Jersey’s only environmental history museum and the home port of the 1928 Schooner A.J. Meerwald, New Jersey’s official tall ship. Located on a working waterfront, the Bayshore Center at Bivalve operates the Delaware Bay Museum in the Oyster Shipping Sheds dating back to 1904.

Visitors get an unspoiled view of the beauty of the Maurice River, a National Wild and Scenic River, and get to watch oystermen navigate the river as osprey and bald eagles soar overhead. Here visitors can learn about New Jersey’s oyster industry, past and present, and sail aboard a historic oyster schooner.

The 85-foot wooden ship has a varied history, serving as a Delaware River oyster schooner, a fireboat during World War II, a clam-dredging ship, and an educational resource. At one time in the early 20th century, more than 500 oyster schooners sailed the lower Delaware River, but the industry was devastated by overfishnig and diseases. The Bayshore Center and A.J. Meerwald are open during spring and summer months and for special events throughout the year.

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Bayshore Center at Bivalve

Environmental History Museum

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