On our way to Cape Cod, that peninsula of Massachusetts that curves out in the Atlantic Ocean. Our destination this morning was New Bedford. On our list was The Rotch-Jones-Duff House. In 1834 William Rotch Jr. built this yellow mansion and coachman's house, surrounded by a full block of formal gardens. Fortunes made in the whaling trade enabled many prosperous merchants to move from New Bedford's commercial waterfront to live in the "country". The house and gardens are a lasting legacy of the great age of whaling. The Rotch-Jones-Duff House from Herman Melville, Moby Dick: ".. nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses; parks and gardens more opulent than in New Bedford … One and all, they were harpooned and dragged up hither from the bottom of the sea."
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is located in downtown New Bedford, a lively urban setting of historic, stately buildings juxtaposed with contemporary art galleries and funky restaurants. The park is located within a 13-block historic district of cobblestone streets. New Bedford is all about whaling and boasts of being “The City That Lit the World.”
In two generations New Bedford grew from a small village on the Acushnet River into the whaling capitol of the world and one of America's wealthiest. In the 1700s Nantucket Island, 50 miles southeast of New Bedford, was the center of American whaling. A cartel of merchants from Boston, Newport, and Providence tightly controlled the industry. They regulated production, pricing, and the marketing of whale products. To escape these restrictions, by 1800 both the Rotch and Rodman families had moved their whaling operations to New Bedford.
Near this spot in 1767 the first ship built in New Bedford was launched-The Dartmouth-Francis Rotch, Owner. She was one of the vessels boarded by the Boston Tea Party in 1773.
A shop by the wharf with mannequins looking in the window … clever!
Fisherman's Tribute Monument - Dedicated to the hard working fishermen and fishing families of the great Port of New Bedford.
Fisherman's Tribute Monument - Dedicated to the hard working fishermen and fishing families of the great Port of New Bedford.
From Whales to Flatfish and Scallops - commercial fishing vessels have replaced the whaling ships of years past.
New Bedford Harbor with pleasure boats and fishing boats that have taken over the long past whaling ships.
New Bedford Harbor with pleasure boats and fishing boats that have taken over the long past whaling ships.
We had a great time walking the wharf and taking in the monuments, art, visitor's center and boats and ships that make up New Bedford.
Near this site was located the shipyard of Colonel George Claghorn builder of U.S. frigate Constitution and ship Rebecca the First Whaler to double Cape Horn. His service in the War of the Revolution covered a period of five years - as First Lieutenant-Captain-Major.
We passed Mariner's Chapel - opened in 1832 for Saving Mariner's Souls, "to protect the rights and interests of the Seamen, and to furnish them with … moral, intellectual and religious instruction."
The Whalemans Chapel of Herman Melville's Moby Dick is a plaque on the side of the Chapel door.
Also on the wharf is The Mariner's Home. This home of William Rotch Jr. was donated in 1830 by his daughter to provide needed food and shelter for needy seamen. After the whaling declined, retired whalemen, merchant seamen and fishermen lived here.
New Bedford's Crossroads of Whaling is lined with cobblestone streets and neighborhoods of brick homes.
Next we were to see the Benjamin Rodman House built in 1821. Many early whaling merchants lived in elegant houses along this street. But by the time Benjamin Rodman built this Federal style home in 1821, many of his wealthy friends were moving uphill away from this shoreside neighborhood.
After walking this historical town, we were off for our next adventure: seeing the Chatham Lighthouse. Chatham, with sixty-six miles of shoreline, is the only Cape Cod town surrounded on three sides by water. Originally there were two twin lighthouses erected. The lights, which were suspended on chains, used lard as fuel. From the beginning, many people believed a single distinguishable light at Chatham would have been sufficient. In 1841, “being entirely unfit for use” the two forty-foot light towers were torn down and rebuilt in brick.
Also on the wharf is The Mariner's Home. This home of William Rotch Jr. was donated in 1830 by his daughter to provide needed food and shelter for needy seamen. After the whaling declined, retired whalemen, merchant seamen and fishermen lived here.
New Bedford's Crossroads of Whaling is lined with cobblestone streets and neighborhoods of brick homes.
Next we were to see the Benjamin Rodman House built in 1821. Many early whaling merchants lived in elegant houses along this street. But by the time Benjamin Rodman built this Federal style home in 1821, many of his wealthy friends were moving uphill away from this shoreside neighborhood.
After walking this historical town, we were off for our next adventure: seeing the Chatham Lighthouse. Chatham, with sixty-six miles of shoreline, is the only Cape Cod town surrounded on three sides by water. Originally there were two twin lighthouses erected. The lights, which were suspended on chains, used lard as fuel. From the beginning, many people believed a single distinguishable light at Chatham would have been sufficient. In 1841, “being entirely unfit for use” the two forty-foot light towers were torn down and rebuilt in brick.
There is a small U.S. Coast Guard Station at Chatham which I causally drove in to park. It only took a few seconds for a Coast Guard to approach the car and tell me we were on the base and would have to leave. He was very pleasant and showed me were to park to see the lighthouse and Sailor's Memorial. All was good! There is a Coast Guard boat on display and a huge sculptured hedge formed as an anchor.
Also in this location is a Seamen's Cemetery and a Sailors Memorial. The plaque reads: Sailors Memorial - Here lie the remains of the unknown sailors who lost their lives in the shipwrecks off the coast of Chatham.
Overlooking the shoreline there is the story of the Mayflower, how it landed in Provincetown, made it's way past Chatham, had to return than re-sail down the coast again to get to Plymouth. Chatham profoundly shaped Pilgrim history because of its dangerous waters off shore. The Pilgrims decided when arriving at Plymouth that they should write The Mayflower Compact as this settlement was outside the limits of their charter for self government. It's an interesting piece of history that was unknown to us.
Chatham is located on the elbow of Cape Cod surrounded on three sides by water. From the Chatham Fisherman’s Pier there are stunning views of the ocean. The sculpture titled "The Provider" features a strong hand pulling a fishing net from the sea with multi-fish and shellfish indigenous to Chatham caught in the net.
Our final destination was Provincetown at the far-end tip of Cape Cod. Before checking into our B&B, we stopped at the Provincetown Pilgrim Monument. It was built between 1907 and 1910, to commemorate the first landfall of the Pilgrims in 1620, and the signing of the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor. This 252-foot-7.5-inch-tall campanile is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States. In 1620, the Pilgrims spent five weeks exploring Cape Cod before they sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts. After spending weeks at sea, the Pilgrims resolved not to set foot on land until the Mayflower Compact was written and signed. In a ceremony on August 20, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt officiated at the laying of the cornerstone. After the monument's completion, President William H. Taft dedicated it at a ceremony held on August 5, 1910.
From the top of the mountain where the Pilgrim Monument is located, we had a great view of beautiful Provincetown, Cape Cod below. We drove down the hill to check-in to our White Porch Inn B&B.
Complete captioned photo album link.
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