Daley 1 Daley 2 DECLARATION OF CANDIDATE I certify that this thesis does not incorporate without acknowledging any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university; and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Signed, Justin H. Daley 11 February 2020 Daley 3 DEDICATION Michelle B. Noble (1989-2013) The sweat and tears expended to produce this dissertation will forever serve as a reminder of the opportunities denied to so many. Daley 4 ABSTRACT The 18th through 19th century New England whaling industry was the world’s leading whaling enterprise. It generated considerable wealth for dozens of emerging oligarchs whose descendants found themselves in a favorable position to subsequently define the interpretation of whaling heritage over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. The central question posed in this thesis is: how did an evolving capitalist system influence the preservation and interpretation of the Yankee whaling industry (1712-1875) in New England? Through a detailed study of the indoor and outdoor interpretive resources of 12 communities, this research looks at what aspects of whaling heritage have been preserved, whether there is regional variation in preservation, how interpretations have been influenced by economic circumstances and changed over time, and how particular interpretations have been prioritized and presented to the public. Over 350 interpretive resources were analyzed, revealing differences in the distribution of interpretive resource types and the changes over pre-revival (<1870), revival (1870-1940) and post revival periods (>1940). While the early interpretive material reflects the more formal story of the Yankee elite, the revival period saw a dramatic shift to the Yankee working-class narrative during a time when few ‘whites’ were left in the industry. It was more than a century since the revival period began, before the story of minorities and immigrants gained headway. There is considerable regional geographic variation in interpretive resources, largely resulting from where and when the consolidation of capital occurred in these communities. Ultimately, the geographic position of each community shaped its economic future, as those conducive to newer transportation networks were the most profitable. The increased need for labor during the Industrial Revolution resulted in a perceived a loss of social status by the Yankee elite, which resulted in their expropriation of history through the funding of statues, monuments, artwork, and other historical outlets of interpretation from the 1870s onwards. The conclusion of this research is that what survives in the historic landscape, historic literature and the archaeological record reflects the ideologies of capitalism and its historic impact on whaling in New England. Daley 5 Table of Contents Part I: Introduction, Background, and Economic Theory .................................................................... 14 Chapter I. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter II. Social Identity, Heritage, and Critical Archaeology.................................................... 24 Chapter III. Whaling and the Development of Capitalism in New England ................................. 39 North American Phases of Economic Development: .................................................................. 39 Early American Inequality Cycles: ............................................................................................. 43 The Stages of American Whaling: ............................................................................................... 47 Chapter IV. Labor Structure, Exploitation, and Diversity ............................................................ 60 The Labor Force: Captains and Crew: ....................................................................................... 60 Labor and Exploitation: .............................................................................................................. 65 Diversity in Whaling:................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter V. Local Histories .............................................................................................................. 80 Provincetown, MA: ...................................................................................................................... 80 Martha’s Vineyard, MA: ............................................................................................................. 82 Nantucket, MA: ........................................................................................................................... 84 New Bedford, MA: ....................................................................................................................... 89 Fairhaven, MA: ........................................................................................................................... 95 Westport, MA: ............................................................................................................................. 97 Mattapoisett, MA: ..................................................................................................................... 100 New London, CT: ...................................................................................................................... 102 Stonington, CT: ......................................................................................................................... 104 Mystic, CT: ................................................................................................................................ 108 Warren, RI: ............................................................................................................................... 111 Sag Harbor, NY: ........................................................................................................................ 113 The Capitalists: Whaling Dynasties and their Influence .......................................................... 117 Part II: Methods and Data.................................................................................................................. 133 Chapter VI. Methods ..................................................................................................................... 133 Chapter VII. Whaling Community Data ...................................................................................... 142 Part III: Analysis and Interpretation .................................................................................................. 292 Chapter VIII. Preservation Analysis ............................................................................................. 292 Chapter IX. Interpretation Analysis ............................................................................................. 337 Chapter X. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 402 Chapter XI. References ................................................................................................................. 411 Daley 6 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. 19th century Whale Product Prices. .......................................................................................... 14 Figure 2. Old Salt Postcard. ................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 3. Top 12 whaling ports .............................................................................................................. 21 Figure 4. Whaling Vessels from Northeastern Ports of the United States. ............................................... 57 Figure 5. Decline of the Whaling Fleet (Hawes 1924:191). .................................................................... 59 Figure 6. Whaleship Diagram of the Bark Alice Knowles (drawing by C.S. Raleigh). ............................ 61 Figure 7. Whaleships in the Azores – Courtesy of NBWM. .................................................................... 70 Figure 8. Site of the Brant Point Shipyard (Starbuck 1945:129). ............................................................ 87 Figure 9. Water and Williams streets, 1805 (facing West) (Arato and Eleeny 1998:12). ......................... 91 Figure 10. Painting of Water and Williams streets, 1805 (Northwest) (William Wall, 1807). .................. 91 Figure 11. Labeling of painting of Water and Williams streets, 1805 (Northwest) (Courtesy of NBWM). .............................................................................................................................................................. 92 Figure 12. Drawing of Shipbuilding on Westport Point (Raymond Shaw in O’Neil 2016). ..................... 98 Figure 13. Westport Shipbuilding (Raymond Shaw 2018) ...................................................................... 99 Figure 14. Top 12 whaling ports with smaller whaling communities (base map is Mawer 1999:4). ....... 134 Figure 15. Provincetown House Markers ............................................................................................. 143 Figure 16. Provincetown Interpretative (orange), Commercial/Industrial (red/crimson), and Residential (green) Resources.