Mystic Seaport – The Connecticut League of History Organizations has given the Noank Historical Society its Award of Merit for a book the society published last summer with late author Larry Jacobsen that chronicles the history of the sloop Emma C. Berry, a National Historic Landmark that is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
The Berry, which is on display at Mystic Seaport, is the last surviving example of a design of fishing smack made in Noank that made the village world famous.
The book is entitled “Celebrating the EMMA C. BERRY: The history and adventures of the last Noank, Connecticut fishing sloop and the people who helped her reach her 150th birthday.”
The Award of Merit is given in recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of Connecticut history and went to 12 people, projects, exhibits, books and organizations this year.
The award will be presented June 6 at the organization’s annual conference in Meriden.
The book follows the Berry from its construction in Noank in 1866 up to its donation to the Seaport in 1969. During its working career, the Berry caught fish, transported lobster and cargo and served as a private yacht.
“The Noank Historical Society supported Larry in his goal to finish and publish this book before Emma’s 150th birthday in July 2016. He and NHS wanted to provide both maritime experts and the general public with a concise record of this important piece of Noank’s history as part of her birthday celebration,” states the historical society’s application for the award.
Jacobsen, who retired from Electric Boat as a chief hull and structures designer and then went on to work as a marine draftsman and engineer at the Seaport shipyard, researched the Berry for several years prior to writing the book. Louisa Watrous and Penny Newbury of the Noank Historical Society helped assemble, edit and lay out the book for publication. Two months after the book was published in June of 2015, Jacobsen died at age 94.
A celebration of the boat’s 150th anniversary is being planned for this summer.
The book is available for $15 at the Mystic Seaport bookstore, Noank Historical Society and at Amazon.com.
