Our Mission:

The Museum was founded in memory of Capt. James B. Richardson, a prominent local boatbuilder. "Mr. Jim's" dedication to the traditional wooden boatbuilding skills and to passing on those skills to new generations of boatwrights inspired the founders of the Museum to establish an organization dedicated not just to preserving his memory, but to continuing his efforts at keeping the art of wooden boatbuilding alive.

In pursuing these efforts and in researching the history of boatbuilding in Dorchester County and the Eastern Shore, it has become increasingly clear that the area has had far-reaching influence on the design of ships and on Chesapeake Bay maritime history.

Our Mission Statement reads: "Create a Maritime Complex dedicated to preserving and promoting the boat building heritage of Dorchester County and the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland, including its influence on U. S. maritime history through research, preservation and exhibition of artifacts and archives, and the promotion of the wooden boat building industry and related skills. The Maritime Complex shall include, but not be limited to, the Richardson Maritime Museum, the Ruark Boatworks and the Brannock Education and Research Center.