Independence Seaport Museum
Exterior of the Independence Seaport Museum
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 Location within Pennsylvania
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| Established | 1961 |
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| Location | Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Coordinates | 39°56′43″N 75°08′30″W / 39.945314°N 75.141771°W |
| Type | Maritime Museum |
| Visitors | 84,000 (2011) |
| Director | John Brady (CEO) |
| Curator | Craig Bruns |
| Public transit access | SEPTA Market–Frankford Line, SEPTA Bus Routes 17, 21, 33, 42, 48 |
| Website | www.phillyseaport.org |
The Independence Seaport Museum (formerly the Philadelphia Maritime Museum) is a museum dedicated to the maritime history of the Philadelphia region and other major urban ports along the Delaware River. It sits in the Penn's Landing complex along the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Founded in 1961, it offers dozens of exhibits, include the warship USS Olympia and the submarine USS Becuna.
In 1961, maritime collector J. Welles Henderson felt that Philadelphia's maritime history had been forgotten, and was frustrated that his city lacked a maritime museum like those in New England. So he rented a room in the Athenaeum on Washington Square, set out his personal collection of maritime items, and opened the Philadelphia Maritime Museum.
In 1974, the museum moved to 321 Chestnut Street, into a building built in 1898 for the First National Bank.
In 1995, the museum moved to Penn's Landing along the Delaware River, after spending $15 million to renovate a building used by the Port of History Museum, which had closed two years earlier. It was renamed the Independence Seaport Museum.
In June 2007, former Independence Seaport Museum president John S. Carter pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and tax evasion from misappropriating about US$2.5 million in funds from the museum. He received a 15-year sentence in federal prison. Carter, who was president of the museum from 1989 to March 2006, was accused of using money from the museum to buy numerous personal items, including two boats, an espresso machine and a carriage house for his home in Cape Cod between 1997 and 2006.
In February 2010, museum officials announced that the cruiser Olympia needed $10 to $20 million for hull repairs to prevent her from sinking and would consider transferring her to a new steward. The Seaport Museum held a preservation summit in March 2011, and shortly thereafter announced that qualified interested organizations could apply for stewardship of Olympia through a transfer application process vetted by a review panel of historic ship and preservation experts.
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