New Shop on Campus
Antique boat enthusiasts celebrate the official opening of the George C. Textor, Jr. Boat Shop.
Published: Friday, July 24, 2026 9:00 am
The Antique Boat Museum (ABM) is proud to announce the official opening of the George C. Textor, Jr. Boat Shop, a major new facility dedicated to the care, maintenance, and preservation of the Museum’s permanent boat and engine collections.
Located on the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, New York, the Museum collects, preserves, interprets, and celebrates boats and related artifacts to advance public understanding of the importance of boating to the cultural history of North America and the St. Lawrence River in particular.
The George C. Textor, Jr. Boat Shop marks a significant step forward in ABM’s ability to fulfill its mission to preserve and celebrate freshwater recreational boats and boating. Designed in collaboration with BCA Architects & Engineers and Con Tech Building Systems, the new facility provides dedicated spaces for professional repair, maintenance, and preservation work, ensuring that the Museum’s permanent collection can be cared for and showcased at the highest standard.
In addition to strengthening ABM’s preservation efforts, the new Boat Shop will play a vital role in expanding the Museum’s educational programming. The facility will provide an interactive learning environment for novices, professionals, students, and lifelong learners, helping foster new interest in vintage boating and traditional marine trades for future generations.
“As a chartered institution through New York State’s Education Department, we are committed to providing exceptional learning opportunities for our community,” says Rebecca Hopfinger, Antique Boat Museum Executive Director. “The Boatyard will allow us to expand our educational impact significantly, creating an environment that fosters hands-on learning through year-round classes, potential apprenticeships, and partnerships with higher educational institutions.”
Chairman of the Board Charles Crow adds, “The boat shop is the keystone to museum objectives in many dimensions. It enables the museum to provide educational opportunities in the varied disciplines associated with marine science, whether an individual’s interests are of a vocational or avocational nature.” Crow goes on to note tht the museum campus provides opportunities to witness and learn tradecraft while serving as another reason to visit and take advantage of all Clayton offers. The activities in the boat shop will allow for the in-house care and preservation of the entire collection, including the in-water fleet.
“These in-water boats, whether rowed, sailed, or powered, provide a unique visitor experience into boating’s past. The items in the collection are as much pieces of art as they are the story of commerce, transportation, and pleasure on the water historically, all of which is better told and enhanced through the boat shop,” Crow says.
“This project would not have been possible without the generosity of supporters near and far,” says Hopfinger. “Many contributed above and beyond their annual membership and Friends giving, demonstrating a deep commitment to the Museum’s future and to the preservation of boating history. We are incredibly grateful.”
With the opening of the George C. Textor, Jr. Boat Shop, ABM enters a new chapter in collection care, education, and community engagement. The facility will allow visitors to see preservation work in action, connect more deeply with the craftsmanship behind historic boats, and experience firsthand how the Museum continues to keep freshwater boating history alive.
For more information about the Antique Boat Museum, please visit www.abm.org.
tags: art, Boat, Clayton, collection, culture, Engine, facility, George C. Textor Jr. Boat Shop, History, Maintenance, Museum, New York, New York State’s Education Department, St. Lawrence River, The Antique Boat Museum
