The granite-fronted Custom House on Water Street was built in 1835 by Robert Mills, the architect of the Washington Monument. From this building federal officers collected the duties on the Caribbean rum, Indian cotton, and Chinese tea that built the town's fortunes. Customs ceased here in 1913 and the building has been a museum since 1976.
Inside, the collection covers Newburyport's clipper-ship era, the local privateers of the Revolution and the War of 1812, and the city's surprising role in early American silver, glass, and shipbuilding industries. The original collector's office and counting room are preserved. Closed Mondays in winter; small admission fee.