Executive Summary
The New Bedford Special Resource Study was prepared by the North Atlantic Regional Office of the National Park Service (NPS) through a cooperative agreement with the Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE). The purpose of this study is to determine whether the New Bedford National Historic Landmark District and other cultural resources meet NPS criteria for national significance, suitability and feasibility for inclusion in the Park System. A statement of significance prepared for this study assesses the national significance of New Bedford's Landmark District and adjacent areas as distinctive sites in the country to preserve and interpret the story of whaling and related social and economic themes. Based on research and active public participation, the Study Team developed three management alternatives for preservation of the city's resources.
Alternative A: New Bedford Whaling National Park. Under this concept, Congress would designate the core of the New Bedford study area as a new unit of the National Park System. NPS would have responsibility for planning and implementing programs for visitor use and interpretation in cooperation with local organizations. A General Management Plan would define priorities for site preservation and identify the location of a visitor orientation center, most likely in an existing historic structure.
Alternative B: Planning and Interpretive Technical Assistance. This alternative involves the creation of a technical assistance program through which NPS staff will assist in developing plans and interpretive programs by working with a local partnership and local cooperators. The staff would provide planning and interpretive technical assistance in the city and would assist in implementation of the plan. Interpretive centers would be developed with grants from the Park Service, but no federal land ownership is anticipated in this alternative.
Alternative C: Local Action Option. This is an entirely private nonprofit operation of historic sites and cultural programs paid for by public and private funds. This alternative projects the current operation level of local historic and cultural organizations into the future, assuming that local organizations would continue the local tradition of preserving historic properties on an individual basis. However, some organizations may not be able to continue to support activities or preservation projects as they have in the past due to reduced levels of public and private funding.
Conclusions
The New Bedford National Historic Landmark District and adjacent sites represent an outstanding example of buildings, sites, and streets associated with the whaling industry, a subtheme not fully represented in the National Park System. The District and historic sites also have exceptional value in representing the theme of maritime history. There are many opportunities in New Bedford for public enjoyment at the waterfront, in the historic core of the city, at key sites throughout the city, and in the Town of Fairhaven. The study concludes that the Landmark District, and the National Historic Landmark Schooner ERNESTINA, meet the criteria for national significance as well as suitability and feasibility for inclusion in the National Park System.
