Pitch Oven - Maine Maritime Museum - Bath, ME - Ovens and Kilns on Waymarking.com

In Bath, south of Bath Iron Works, is the Maine Maritime Museum, which has this pitch oven on the property.

The Maine Maritime Museum is located along Washington Street, about a quarter mile south of the Bath Iron Works and well south of the center of Bath. After paying admission within the main building, go out the side entrance to the outside exhibit area. The oven is along a paved path not far from the door.

The oven is a brick structure that is open on one side, and has an arched roof. There is a chimney along the back part. The oven part is below and there is a shelf near the bottom. Two holes are present, probably there to place fuel in the oven. There are black smears on the brick - probably remains of pitch or tar.

There is a sign to the left that has the following:

"The Pitch Oven (1902)

Caulkers used huge quantities of pitch to pay (or seal) the vessels' deck seams. In the kettles set into this freestanding brick oven, they melted crystallized pine resin over scrap-wood fires to create warm pitch, which they carried in buckets to the decks of the schooner.

Small boys sometimes helped themselves to a free "chaw" of pitch, similar to the spruce gum enjoyed in New England - and cheaper than chewing gum!"

There is also a picture in the background with a caption that states that the oven is in that picture of the schooner, Wyoming, being launched in 1909, and there is another showing caulkers in action.

Type of Oven / Kiln: Other Status: Historical Site Operating Dates: 1902 - 1950 Website: [Web Link] Additional Coordinate: Not Listed Additional Coordinate Description: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Tell of your visit, and post original photos of the waymark and yourself/gps if possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.