New Bedford Preservation Society VIP 5 Notable People in New Bedford History

Telling the History of New Bedford
Through Its Architecture
Join Bruce Barnes as he introduces us to six extraordinary New Bedford personalities on his VIP 5 walking tour. Get ready to be captivated by the diverse tales of religion, whaling, textiles, business, philanthropy, and literature that have shaped the very fabric of New Bedford's identity.

00:00 – Introduction
00:38 –The Rotch Jones Duff House and Garden Museum. History of this wonderful house/museum, its design, and occupants
03:58 - John Duff (1858 -1936), his family, and how he became the coal baron of New Bedford. Also covered is his philanthropy, specifically the support of Catholic causes and the St. Lawrence Church.
11:18 – Mary Rotch (1777-1848), the youngest child of William Rotch Sr., was a leader of the Quaker schism (the New Lights) of the 1820s.
17:48 – Oliver Prescott II (1868-1938), was a prominent New Bedford attorney and industrialist. He was on the board of numerous banks and textile mills, as well as many charitable activities. Along with his sisters, he commissioned the Tiffany mosaic mural for the First Unitarian Church.
28:21 – Edgar G. Hammond (1853-1937), was an important architect, yachtsman, and civic leader. Among his many local designs are the Bourne Building and the Lagoda (the Whaling Museum), the Odd Fellows (Duff Building), and both the first and current New Bedford Yacht Clubs.
34:32 – Rachel Howland (1816-1902), was an influential Quaker preacher, activist, and philanthropist. Rachel was married to the successful whaling merchant Matthew Howland and was mother to William D Howland, an important textile leader. The family lost their fortune during the Arctic Whaling disasters in 1871 and 1876.
43:07 – Herman Melville (1819-1891), had strong ties to New Bedford. He and Lemuel Shaw, Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and his father-in-law joined New Bedford's John Clifford, future Governor of the Commonwealth, on a trip to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in 1853. Bruce discusses a story that Clifford told Melville during the trip that the author turned into an unpublished manuscript lost to history, "The Isle of the Cross."

Thanks to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Spinner Publications, the New Bedford Free Public Library, Digital Commonwealth, and Google Maps for selected images.

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