History of New Bedford - The Historic District Tour

New Bedford Historic District Tour

New Bedford Preservation Society

Join us on this wonderful walking tour with tour guide and historian Bruce Barnes that illuminates the heart of New Bedford’s historic district. Learn about this fascinating area and visit many of the historic sites that comprise the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the New Bedford Historic District. This area was the heart of old New Bedford from its founding, to its emergence as a major commercial and cultural center.

You will visit:
00:27 The Custom House – built in the mid 1830’s, it was designed by Robert Mills, the same architect that designed the Washington Monument in Washington DC.

05:28 The site of the old Post Office, built in 1892-93, it was soon obsolete and replaced by the current post office in 1915. The eagle that used to crown the building, Mr. Steadfast, is now at the foot of Elm Street by Route 18.
09:08 The Citizens National Bank and the New Bedford Institute for Savings (now the National Park Visitor Center) are great examples of the use of brownstone in the city.
12:07 The Benjamin Rodman House, built in 1821, is the only historic mansion still in its original location.
15:16 The Andrew Robeson House, built in 1821, was moved from the northwest diagonal corner in 1978. Mr. Robeson, in addition to his whaling interests, became a major force in the textile industry.
19:34 The Seamen’s Bethel, built in the 1830s, was immortalized by Herman Melville in Moby Dick. The Bethel served the mostly transient seamen whalers before they departed on their hazardous voyages.
23:03 The Mariners Home, built in 1790, was the first home of William Rotch, Jr. It was moved to its current location from its original location at William and North Water streets.
26:31 Learn about the Whaling Bark Progress, which was New Bedford’s exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The unfortunate and embarrassing neglect of the ship after the fair inspired New Bedford’s interest in preserving its rich whaling heritage.
30:42 The site of Samuel Rodman Senior’s first house and the Rodman Candleworks.
34:32 The Double Bank Building, built in 1833, is two separate buildings constructed by two different builders. It originally housed the Merchants Bank and the Mechanics Bank.
37:09 The historic Water Street area, which remains largely unchanged since the 1820s.
38:03 The site of the National Bank of Commerce. It later became the first location of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, now the Whaling Museum.
39:22 The site of the devastating 1977 gas explosion at O’Malley’s Tavern. In the middle of a frigid winter, this explosion damaged many of the surrounding buildings including the Whaling Museum and the YMCA across the street.
42:11 The site of the Mansion House. This was the location of the house of William Rotch Senior from the time of his relocation from Nantucket in 1795 until his death in 1828. It later became a well-known inn until it burned down in the 1920s.

To learn more about the New Bedford Preservation Society and Bruce's tour schedule, click http://nbpreservationsociety.org/eventscalendar.html
To join the New Bedford Preservation Society, click http://nbpreservationsociety.org/membership.html

New Bedford Preservation Society Media Coordinator: Pat Daughton
Tour guide: Bruce Barnes
Video by Steve Gladstone: https://www.youtube.com/stevesboston

Many thanks to Spinner Publications, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the New Bedford Free Public Library, Google Earth, and other public domain sources for many of the illustrative images used in the video.

Видео History of New Bedford - The Historic District Tour канала New Bedford Preservation Society