The Maritime Heritage Project is dedicated to preserving San Francisco's shipping history during the 1800s when ships, captains, and passengers from around the world sailed in seeking gold and start new lives. Stories on the site represent every nationality as people came from around the world to California. The well-regarded Project features thousands of names on passenger lists (with free access) and is listed in noted history directories, including museum sites, shipping companies such as American President Lines, and merchant marine sites. The Maritime Heritage site is also used as a training/reference site by the San Francisco Maritime Museum and J. Porter Shaw Maritime Library in San Francisco and it is included in The Library of Congress.