Gavel of Wood from U.S. Frigate Constellation
From Estate of Theodore R. McKeldin, former Governor of Maryland

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Gavel of Wood from U.S. Frigate Constellation
detail detail
detail detail
Gavel of Wood from U.S. Frigate Constellation
American: c. 1955-1959
Wide grained blond hardwood, probably oak
11.5 inches long; 3 inches head
Provenance: Estate of Theodore R. McKeldin, former Governor of Maryland
Sold - please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

This souvenir gavel is made of wood from the US Frigate Constellation. The gavel was owned by Maryland Governor Theodore R. McKeldin, and might have been made for him. The story of the Constellation and the gavel is on the original paper label as follows:

"This gavel has been fashioned from a timber of the U.S. Frigate Constellation, built in Baltimore in 1797. The first ship of the U.S. Navy and the oldest vessel still afloat, the Constellation is being restored in Baltimore, having been brought here in 1955 from Boston by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the request of the governor of Maryland, Theodore R. McKeldin."

The gavel label conflates the two U.S. Navy ships that bore the name Constellation. The first, a frigate, was launched in Baltimore on September 7, 1797 and in 1799, it won the first ship vs. ship victory of the U.S. Navy, capturing the French frigate Insurgente in the West Indies. It also participated in campaigns against Barbary and Caribbean pirates and in the War of 1812. In 1853, the original U.S. Frigate Constellation was decommissioned and broken up at the navy yard in Portsmouth, Virginia. A new ship was built named the USS Constellation and launched in 1854. It was used for anti-slavery patrols and for naval patrols during the Civil War. After 1869 it was used as a training ship for midshipmen at the US Naval Academy. The ship was decommisioned in 1893, although it was periodically used thereafter for training in rigging sails and for ceremonial purposes. By 1946 it was at the Boston Navy Yard, and as the label explains, arrived in Baltimore for restoration in 1955. The USS Constellation is now open to the public as a museum in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland.

Theodore R. McKeldin (1900-1974) had a five-decade political career, including two terms as Mayor of Baltimore (1943-1947, 1963-1967) and two as Governor of Maryland from 1951 to 1959. He was considered a moderate Republican, and was selected to nominate Dwight D. Eisenhower for president at the 1952 Republican Convention. He remains an admired figure in Maryland politics with achievements including governmental reform, major construction of the state highway system, urban renewal in Baltimore and the beginning of redevelopment of the Inner Harbor. He also had a strong commitment to the civil rights movement, which included hosting a Congress for the Racial Equality meeting in 1966.

References:

"Constellation History." USS Constellation. http://www.constellation.org (15 April 2003).

"Historical Manuscripts: Papers of Theodore R. McKeldin." University Libraries, University of Maryland. 31 October 2001. http://www.lib.umd.edu/ARCV/histmss/OnePagers/mckeldin.html (15 April 2003).