Visitors can explore the evolving history of the Navy’s first ironclad at the state-of-the-art USS Monitor Center
On 9 March 2007, the 145th anniversary of the momentous first clash of armored warships, the Mariners’ Museum and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary opened the doors of the USS Monitor Center in Newport News, Virginia. The modern exhibition and conservation facility located at the museum is the principal repository for artifacts recovered from the Monitor ’s wreck site and tells both the historical and continuing story of the celebrated “cheesebox on a raft.” The Mariners’ Museum also works with other institutions to place Monitor artifacts on display around the nation.
