NEWBURYPORT — The Custom House Maritime Museum had a lot to celebrate Friday morning when ARC Technologies founder Dan Healey stopped by to drop off a check for $100,000.
“I love the water and have been on the Merrimack River all my life,” Healey said. “It’s part of my blood and I want to continue that history.”
Over 30 people, including members of the Custom House Board of Directors, state Rep. Dawne Shand, D-Newburyport, and museum volunteers stood with Healey on the museum’s front steps to accept the sizable contribution.
“This is a big deal,” Custom House board chair Bob Cronin said. “We’re a small museum in a small community. So, this is helpful.”
Healey estimated he has given the museum roughly $250,000 over the last four years.
Part of the ceremony saw the Custom House dedicate its Water Street entrance in Healey’s name.
The Daniel P. Healey III vestibule is the first thing visitors to the museum see as they come in the front door. It comes complete with a photograph taken in the 1960s of his grandfather, Daniel P. Healey Sr. standing at the helm of the clipper ship Flying Cloud in Newburyport harbor.
The Merrimac resident said he was honored to have his name attached to the new entranceway.
“I’m happy I could help out and hope to continue this wonderful tradition,” Healey said.
Custom House Executive Director James Russell said Healey’s prior support has allowed the museum to develop new educational programs for the community.
“He’s helping us out, tremendously,” he said.
Healey’s most-recent donation, Russell added, will go towards an educational discovery center for local school kids.
Cronin said the money could also be used to develop programming on the museum’s back lawn located near the city’s waterfront boardwalk.
“We would like to turn this into a 365-day-a-year educational facility,” he said. “So, we will spread the money out.”
Healey said he’s delighted to support educational programs at the museum as well as inspire young people to become more interested in the city’s maritime history.
A Newburyport native, Healey founded his company in Amesbury and said the Merrimack River has always been a treasure to him.
Earlier this month, he asked Russell if the Custom House could provide free admission to all Amesbury residents for the month of September, so more people can enjoy and learn about the museum.
Russell, who joined the museum last fall, agreed.
“This is our way of saying, ‘thanks very much,”” Russell said.
Admission to the Custom House is already free to Newburyport residents year round.
Cronin said he hopes to save even more people the cost of the $10 ticket in the future.
“We’re examining some creative ways to either drop the price or eliminate it, entirely,” he said. “Our goal is to make this place somewhere people want to go. We want to change out our exhibits on a regular basis and make it a destination within the destination that is Newburyport.”