The Historic Port of Washington museum will close its doors Saturday.

The grassroots museum opened on South Market Street in March 2015 as an entirely volunteer-based endeavor. Two years later, the HPOW Board of Trustees is shifting focus to a more interactive, public presence, according to one of the museum’s founders, Ray Midgett.

“It was primarily a financial decision because we didn’t have the funds to continue to pay rent and utilities. We tried to find another suitable location and were unable to do that,” Midgett said. “We decided to close the door and use what funds remaining to continue to pay expense for things like getting our 501(c)3, our nonprofit designation, and be able to put on events like lectures and walking tours like we did at the Marine Market.”

Exhibits currently featured in the museum will find new homes on a rotating basis — at the Brown Library, Arts of the Pamlico’s Turnage Theatre and the North Carolina Estuarium.

“We want to continue to celebrate Washington’s diverse history and share it with our residents and tourists, honor the businesses and families that initially funded our artwork and contributed their artifacts, and encourage others to participate,” reads an HPOW press release.

According to Little Shoppes of Washington co-owner and Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum co-director Rebecca Clark, the museum’s closure represents a loss for downtown Washington businesses and visitors to the area.

“I think it’s a very unfortunate thing. I do think it was a museum that had a unique story to tell about Washington,” Clark said.

Like the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum, the HPOW museum represented a draw to those interested in heritage tourism — people who travel to experience places, artifacts and activities that bring the past to life. Visitors to the museum got a window into life during the heyday of Washington’s maritime past, a thriving port town that was the conduit to travel and shipping farther inland and to places far away.

Clark said it’s often difficult for small museums to find the resources to keep their doors open; closing will impact businesses downtown as people who come for the history also eat and shop while in town.

“Every time we have something like a museum open up then our business increases because tourism is the basis of my business. It’s about 75 percent,” Clark said. “Any time something like that closes, we all suffer.”

The HPOW board, however, will continue its mission to promote Washington’s maritime history. All volunteer officers, trustees and museum workers will be staying on board for the transition from dedicated space to presentation, lectures and displays about town, and HPOW continues to seek volunteers and supporters, according to the press release.

“We’re going to continue to exist. We’re going forward,” Midgett said.

The museum is located at 132 S. Market St. and will be open Saturday. More information can be found at www.hpow.org and www.facebook.com/historicportofwashington.