Safely Moored at Last: Cultural Landscape Report for New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
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: AST FOR L AT ARK EPORT P R HALING W OORED ISTORICAL ANDSCAPE M H L EDFORD B EW ATIONAL AFELY ULTURAL C N N S SAFELY MOORED AT LAST: CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR NEW BEDFORD WHALING NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK ARATO AND ELEEY National Park ServiceNational Park U.S. Department ofU.S. the Interior “ Huge hills and mountains of casks on casks were piled upon her wharves, and side by side the world-wandering whale ships lay silent and safely moored at last.” —Melville, Moby Dick SAFELY MOORED AT LAST: CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR NEW BEDFORD WHALING NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VOLUME 1: HISTORY EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS PRELIMINARY PRESERVATION ISSUES BY CHRISTINE A. ARATO AND PATRICK L. ELEEY CULTURAL LANDSCAPE PUBLICATION 16 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, 1998 CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR NEW BEDFORD WHALING NHP ii This report is part of the Cultural Landscape Publication Series produced by the National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. This series includes a variety of publications designed to provide information and guidance on landscape preservation to managers and other preservation professionals. The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation promotes the preservation of significant landscapes through research, planning, stewardship, and education. The Center accom- plishes its mission in collaboration with a network of partners including national parks, universities, government agencies and private nonprofit organizations. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation 99 Warren Street Brookline, MA 02445 617.566.1689 www.nps.gov/frla/oclp.htm [email protected] Publication Credits: Information in this publication may be copied and used with the condition that full credit be given to the authors and publisher. Appropriate citations and bibliographic credits should be made for each use. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Arato, Christine A. Safely moored at last: cultural landscape report for New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park / by Christine A. Arato and Patrick L. Eleey. p.cm.—(Cultural landscape publication;16) Includes bibliographical references (p.). Contents: v. 1. History, existing conditions, analysis, preliminary preservations issues. ISBN 0-912627-66-2 1. Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (New Bedford, Mass.) 2. Historic sites— Conservation and restoration—Massachusetts—New Bedford. 3. New Bedford (Mass.)—Buildings, structures, etc. 4. New Bedford (Mass.)—History. 5. Landscape assessment—Massachusetts—New Bedford. 6. Whaling—Massachusetts—New Bedford—History. I. Eleey, Patrick L. II. Title. III. Cultural landscape publication; no. 16. F74.N5 A73 2000 974.4’85—dc21 00-035139 Cover photo: Courtesy of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society CONTENTS iii vLIST OF FIGURES ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xi FOREWORD xiii INTRODUCTION xiv Study Boundaries xv Methodology and Scope xvi Chronological Overview 1I.SITE HISTORY 1 Early Settlement, 1600 – 1755 5 Establishment of the Whaling Industry, 1755 – 1778 10 The War Years, 1778 – 1822 19 The Golden Age of Whaling, 1823 – 1857 37 The Industrial City, 1858 – 1914 51 The Waterfront District, 1915 – 1997 73 II. EXISTING LANDSCAPE CONDITIONS 73 Introduction 73 General Description 78 North/South Streets 82 East/West Streets 89 III. ANALYSIS OF SIGNIFICANCE AND INTEGRITY 89 National Register Status 90 Landscape Characteristics and Features 98 Evaluation of Integrity 101 IV. PRELIMINARY PRESERVATION ISSUES 105 V. TOPICS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 107 VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY 113 VII. APPENDICES 113 A. Abbreviated Genealogy of the Rotch-Rodman Family of New Bedford 114 B. Patterns of Street Development and Nomenclature 117 C. Businesses on Union Street in 1849 119 D. National Register Nomination 127 E. Enabling Legislation CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR NEW BEDFORD WHALING NHP iv LIST OF FIGURES v I. SITE HISTORY 17-19 Abraham Russell House and gardens, intersection of County and Union Streets, ca.1812. Watercolor 1 Map of New Bedford Harbor area. Map by OCLP, sketches courtesy of the Old Dartmouth Historical 1998. Society. 2 Map showing the property lines of early farms in the 20 Purchase Street, looking north from Union Street, New Bedford area. Map printed in Old Dartmouth ca.1812. Painting by William A. Wall, courtesy of Historical Sketches, no. 15. the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. 3 Joseph Russell House, intersection of County and 21 Detail of waterfront area, ca.1815. William Streets, ca.1810. Painting by Joseph S. Russell, 22 Joseph Rotch House, ca.1830. Illustration by Ben- courtesy of the New Bedford Free Public Library. jamin S. Rotch, courtesy of the Old Dartmouth His- 4 Early map showing original purchasers of lots in New torical Society. Bedford, 1753-1815. Map courtesy of New Bedford 23 Rotch-Jones-Duff House, late nineteenth century. City Planning Office. Photograph courtesy of the Old Dartmouth Histori- 5 Sketch of Acushnet estuary made by Ezra Stiles, 1762. cal Society. Illustration printed in Leonard Ellis’ History of New 24 Formal gardens at the Rotch-Jones-Duff House, Bedford. ca.1990. Photograph courtesy of the Waterfront His- 6 Topographical map of Bedford harbor with handwrit- toric Area LeaguE (WHALE). ten notes by Major John André, 1778. Map courtesy of 25 John Avery Parker House, ca.1900. Photograph by William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan. Joseph S. Martin, courtesy of the Old Dartmouth 7 “The Birth of the Whaling Industry,”1853. Painting Historical Society. by William A. Wall, courtesy of the New Bedford 26 Double Bank Building, ca.1870. Photograph by G.D. Free Public Library. Kingman, courtesy of the New Bedford Free Public 8 Diagram of early proprietors on Rotch’s Hill, ca.1790. Library. Illustration printed in Old Dartmouth Historical 27 Humphrey H. Nye estate, ca.1860. Watercolor by Sketches, no. 64. an unknown artist, courtesy of the Old Dartmouth 9 Captain Cornelius Grinnell House, ca.1900. Photo- Historical Society. graph courtesy of the New Bedford Free Public Library. 28 Unitarian Church, corner of Union and Eighth 10 Corner of Water and William Streets, 1805. Painting Streets, ca.1838. Lithograph by E.W. Bouve, cour- by William A. Wall, courtesy of the Old Dartmouth tesy of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. Historical Society. 29 Seamen’s Bethel, ca.1860s. Photograph courtesy of 11 The Four Corners, at Union and Water Streets, 1810. the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. Painting by William A. Wall, courtesy of the New 30 The Ark, 1826. Painting by William J. Swift, printed in Bedford Free Public Library. Leonard Ellis’ History of the New Bedford Fire Department. 12 Map of New Bedford, 1795. Manuscript plan cour- 31 William Street, looking west from Purchase Street, tesy of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. ca.1852. Photograph by Horace Tilden, courtesy of 13 Map of New Bedford, 1815. Map from a plan drawn the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. by Gilbert Russell, courtesy of the Old Dartmouth 32 William Street, looking east from Purchase Street, Historical Society. ca.1870. Photograph courtesy of the Old Dartmouth 14 Approximate location of buildings in the vicinity of Historical Society. the bridge to Fairhaven, 1815. 33 Waterfront, mid-nineteenth century. Photograph cour- 15 North Second Street, looking north toward William tesy of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. Street, 1815. Illustration printed in Leonard Ellis’ 34 Custom House, ca.1850. Etching printed in Henry History of the New Bedford Fire Department. Crapo’s Old Buildings in New Bedford. 16 Centre Street, 1815. Painting by William A. Wall, cour- 35 New Bedford Town Hall, ca.1850. Etching printed tesy of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. in Henry Crapo’s Old Buildings in New Bedford. CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR NEW BEDFORD WHALING NHP vi 36 Union Street, looking west from Pleasant Street, 56 New Bedford waterfront, 1867. Photograph by ca.1865. Photograph courtesy of the Old Dartmouth Stephen F. Adams, printed in Nicholas Whitman’s A Historical Society. Window Back. 37 Union Street, looking east from Acushnet Avenue, 57-59 Scenes along the Point Road, mid- to late-nineteenth ca.1870. Photograph courtesy of the New Bedford century. Painting by William A. Wall, courtesy of the Free Public Library. Old Dartmouth Historical Society. Photographs printed 38 Corner of County and Court Streets, ca.1860. in New Bedford Illustrated. Photograph courtesy of the Old Dartmouth His- 60-62 Scenes along the waterfront, mid-nineteenth century. torical Society. Photographs courtesy of the Old Dartmouth Histori- 39 James Arnold mansion, intersection of County and cal Society and the New Bedford Free Public Library. Spring Streets, 1821. Illustration printed in Old 63 Central Wharf, ca. 1879. Photograph by Stephen F. Dartmouth Historical Sketches, no. 52. Adams, printed in Nicholas Whitman’s A Window Back. 40 Grotto in the garden of James Arnold. Illustration 64 Wasp-waisted Abbie Gifford Rogers, of nearby printed in Old Dartmouth Historical Sketches, no. 52. Fairhaven, ca. 1880. Photograph courtesy of Millicent 41 Corner of Union and North Second Streets, looking Library, Fairhaven. east, 1849. Photograph courtesy of the Old 65 Advertisement for ladies corsets, ca. 1910. Illustra- Dartmouth Historical Society. tion printed in Illustrated New Bedford, Martha’s 42-43 Ax-blade trade sign, ca.1845, and pocket-watch trade Vineyard, and Nantucket. sign, ca.1850. Photographs courtesy of the Old 66 Detail of map of New Bedford, 1851. Map courtesy Dartmouth Historical Society. of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society. 44-45 Little