Joshua M. Smith, Ph.D.

Director

Joshua M. Smith has led the American Merchant Marine Museum since early 2009, holding a joint appointment with the Humanities Department at USMMA.  Smith holds degrees from the University of St. Andrews, Maine Maritime Academy, East Carolina University, and the University of Maine.  He is author of Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820, which won the John Lyman Award in American Maritime History in 2007, and edited Voyages: Documents in American Maritime History, 1492-Present, a two-volume sourcebook in maritime history created in conjunction with the National Maritime Historical Society.  He has also written a small monograph with a Canadian perspective entitled Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812, published by the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society. He is currently writing a textbook on American sea power with the working title Ships Made America.

Clayton Harper

Technician

Clayton Harper commenced working at the American Merchant Marine Museum in April 2011 as a Museum Professional and Graphic Artist / Designer who abets the day-to-day activities, artistic needs, and maintenance of the museum and exhibits. Before starting at the museum, Clayton served for many years in the United States Air Force. When not enriching and energizing the museum, Clayton enjoys spending time with his family, the arts, and cultivating and honing his skills on the Pyrophone Organ.

Scott Abel Ph.D.

Museum Archivist

Scott Abel is originally from the Jersey Shore and has long had an interest in maritime history.  He graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland with a BA in 20019 and Rutgers University of Newark, New Jersey in 2011 with a master’s in history.  At Northern Illinois University, he engaged in Southeast Asian Studies and earned a doctoral degree in 2016.  Since then, he has worked with a variety of organizations, including the University of Michigan, the National Library of Singapore, and Kean University.