A Walking Tour of New Bedford, Massachusetts

By Doug Gelbert

There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.

Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.

The town of Dartmouth was formed from so-called “common land” on June 8, 1664, and included the territory called Acushena, Ponagansett and Coakset. The bounds of the town were defined June 3, 1668. From this territory New Bedford was set off February 23, 1787. Therefore, New Bedford was founded as a town in 1787 and incorporated as a city in 1847.

First mayor Abraham Howland and the new city fathers were predominately Quakers. Followers of the religious teachings of Englishman, George Fox, the Quakers referred to themselves as the “Society of Friends” and “Children of the Light.” Their spiritual mission in life was to spread (diffuse) the “Inner Light of Christ” to all they encountered. So here they were, the Children of the Light, employed in the lighting industry, supplying whale oil to the entire world for lighting.

The town had grown since the economically difficult days of the American Revolution a decade earlier. With its well-protected deep harbor, by 1823 New Bedford had surpassed Nantucket in the number of whaling ships leaving its harbor each year and by 1840, with the arrival of the railroad and easier access to markets in New York and Boston, the port was the whaling capital of the world. New Bedford was for a time “the richest city in the world.”

This walking tour will begin at the Visitor Center for the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, just a couple of blocks from the waterfront of the “city that lit the world”...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Doug Gelbert
• Release date: Feb 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458097927

Book preview

A Walking Tour of New Bedford, Massachusetts

a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com

by Doug Gelbert

published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords

Copyright 2010 by Doug Gelbert

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.

The town of Dartmouth was formed from so-called common land on June 8, 1664, and included the territory called Acushena, Ponagansett and Coakset. The bounds of the town were defined June 3, 1668. From this territory New Bedford was set off February 23, 1787. Therefore, New Bedford was founded as a town in 1787 and incorporated as a city in 1847.

First mayor Abraham Howland and the new city fathers were predominately Quakers. Followers of the religious teachings of Englishman, George Fox, the Quakers referred to themselves as the Society of Friends and Children of the Light. Their spiritual mission in life was to spread (diffuse) the Inner Light of Christ to all they encountered. So here they were, the Children of the Light, employed in the lighting industry, supplying whale oil to the entire world for lighting.

The town had grown since the economically difficult days of the American Revolution a decade earlier. With its well-protected deep harbor, by 1823 New Bedford had surpassed Nantucket in the number of whaling ships leaving its harbor each year and by 1840, with the arrival of the railroad and easier access to markets in New York and Boston, the port was the whaling capital of the world. New Bedford was for a time the richest city in the world.

This walking tour will begin at the Visitor Center for the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, just a couple of blocks from the waterfront of the city that lit the world...

1.

New Bedford Institute of Savings (National Park Visitors Center)

33 William Street

The sandstone-faced building began life in 1853 as the New Bedford Institute of Savings. The Third District Court moved in to these quarters in 1896. The roofline is marked by a pediment. THIRD DISTRICT COVRT OF BRISTOL is carved into the second story in prominent letters. Today it serves as the Visitor Center for the National Park Service, entered on William Street through a granite