Statement of Significance
Introduction
The National Park Service has developed criteria to evaluate the national significance of a site. These criteria, listed in the National Park Service Management Policies, state that a resource is nationally significant if it meets all of the following requirements:
- It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
- It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the natural or cultural themes of our nation's heritage.
- It offers superlative opportunities for recreation, public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.
- It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of resources.
The guidelines state, "Nationally significant cultural resources include districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects that possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting our heritage and have a high degree of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association."6 These are virtually the same as the criteria for National Historic Landmark designation.
Recent National Park Service directives clarifying the preparation of significance statements for special resource studies state that "areas that have been designated as NHL's (National Historic Landmarks) or NNL's (National Natural Landmarks) have been determined to be nationally significant and require no further analysis of significance if being studied for potential addition to the National Park System."7 Therefore, New Bedford's National Historic Landmark District and the Schooner ERNESTINA already meet the criteria for national significance by virtue of their previous designation.
The following Statement of Significance was prepared for the New Bedford Special
Resource Study.
Historical Significance and Themes
[Emerson] guessed the secret of New Bedford's success. Her spacious harbor, in contrast to the bar-blocked entrance to Nantucket; her mainland situation and her railroad connections counted for much; but her persistent specialization in whaling alone, counted most. Other small seaports of New England hugged the delusion that foreign trade would return; New Bedford hugged her oil casks.
Samuel Eliot Morrison. 8
New Bedford. New Bedford is today a medium-sized city situated on a wide harbor at the mouth of the Acushnet River in southeastern Massachusetts. As one would guess from this location, the sea has largely determined the city's livelihood and character. This historical development, however, followed a particular direction--whaling--that made New Bedford distinctive among the numerous locations that derived their existence from the sea.
The details of New Bedford's historical growth are summarized in the National Register nomination for the [Waterfront] Historic District cited in the Appendix. In brief, whaling was an important mainstay of the world economy and New Bedford represents the whaling industry at its peak (between 1820 and 1860) by every measure of production, investment and manpower. Moreover, it came to symbolize whaling, so that whaling and New Bedford are still synonymous in the popular imagination--and deservedly so.
Whaling. To understand the full significance of the whaling industry, it is necessary to take a broad view of its historical importance and an imaginative view of its potential for meaningful interpretation. Whaling was, it is true, an archaic, predatory and adventurous pursuit, but if it is seen as nothing more than that, it would have only an antiquarian appeal. In actuality, however, whaling embodies diverse social and economic themes that are of considerable importance in American history and are worthy of being preserved and interpreted in order to enhance understanding of our heritage.
The economic influence of New Bedford whaling extended far beyond the direct value of the catch, however impressive. Due to its uses around the world for lighting and lubrication, whale oil helped facilitate the American Industrial Revolution. In a sense, by creating demands it was ultimately unable to satisfy, whaling helped shape an environment in which the petroleum industry was able to flourish. Moreover, the leaders of the whaling industry were shrewd enough to turn their resources into new enterprises, especially textiles, when they foresaw the inevitable decline of whaling. This entrepreneurial spirit extended New Bedford's prosperity for two or three generations and contributed significantly to the present physical appearance of the city.
Cultural Diversity. Whaling at New Bedford embraces elements that express the cultural diversity of the American past. Because of this, New Bedford offers exceptional possibilities for recognizing the contributions of portions of the population that have traditionally tended to be ignored. Indians and African-Americans were especially conspicuous because of the tolerant attitude of the Quakers who were prominent in the business and the greater opportunities available in seafaring.
The whaling and maritime trades that dominated the New Bedford economy during the nineteenth century provided many opportunities for free Blacks. During that time, New Bedford was a hotbed of abolitionist sentiment as well as a place of safety for the runaway slaves who followed the North Star to freedom.9
New Bedford, perhaps more than any other site in New England, thus offers a good opportunity to interpret the history of African-American life in the North. Its community of persons of African descent -- the second largest in Massachusetts before the Civil War -- was a cosmopolitan mix of freed slaves from Africa, West Indian and Cape Verdean whalemen, and fugitives from the American South. The city was a key stop on the underground railroad. One of those who escaped north to freedom was Frederick Douglass, one of the best known African-Americans of his time. Douglass established himself in the hospitable environment of New Bedford and began his anti-slavery work. The long and notable African-American presence has been recognized by the establishment of a Black History Trail in New Bedford.
Much the same can be said of women, who benefitted from the relative tolerance of the Quakers and the opportunities for greater independence presented when men were absent on extended voyages. Others chose to express their independence by not staying at home: there are many vivid accounts of ship captains' wives and children sharing the hazards of long voyages.
Because of whaling, New Bedford was a far more cosmopolitan place than most American cities of its size. The most direct human result was the immigration of ethnic groups, notably people from Portugal and its dependent islands of the Azores and the Cape Verdes, who contributed to American diversity. The contacts and immigration initiated by whaling have continued into modern times and can provide an important supplement to the broader immigration story as told at sites such as Ellis Island and Lowell. A fruitful connection with Japan portrayed at nearby Fairhaven, Massachusetts, relating to the career of John Manjiro10, is also noteworthy.
Related Themes. A further way in which New Bedford exemplifies a vital social theme derives from the inspiration whaling provided for the arts. In view of the romantic aspects of whaling this is not surprising. Indeed, one must be careful to keep in mind that the main purpose of whaling was not to provide time to perform intricate works of scrimshaw. Moby Dick by Herman Melville is only the most conspicuous example of the use of whaling themes in the arts, a category which includes many other works of literature, painting and folk music, as well as the ubiquitous handicrafts.
Another fascinating effect of whaling is the increase in geographical knowledge it contributed. In this report there is a close analogy to the trade in beaver and other skins, except that as the whale hunters had to venture ever farther afield, their journeys took them across oceans rather than continents. Most of the distant lands and seas explored by whaling vessels now lie outside U.S. jurisdiction, but the close ties whalers established with Alaska and Hawaii presumably contributed to bringing them into the American sphere. These influences worked both ways: contact with the relaxed lifestyle of the South Seas presumably broadened the outlook of staid New Englanders. Of necessity, New Bedford whalers enlarged our knowledge of the Pacific and Arctic regions and oceanography.
One of the vital underlying themes of New Bedford relates to modern conservation issues. The historical over-exploitation of whales, which required ever-longer and more distant voyages, has striking parallels with present concerns over depletion of natural resources. In particular, there are obvious similarities to the situation in the contemporary fishing industry. These problems are directly visible at New Bedford, which in the twentieth century has developed into one of the major American fishing ports. Fishing vessels now tie up and process their catch in essentially the same location where whaling ships once docked, in direct proximity to the Waterfront Historic District. Issues of historic preservation are also represented to a significant degree at New Bedford, since the local group WHALE (Waterfront Historic Area League) was one of the first in the nation to make a systematic and successful effort to preserve and adaptively reuse an entire historic district (the area in which whaling-related resources are concentrated).
Resources
New Bedford's historic resources possess exceptional value in illustrating the whaling-centered themes identified above. The city is especially distinguished because it does not depend on a single resource or category of resources, but possesses a variety of mutually supportive resources that in the aggregate contribute to the primary theme. Indeed much of the historical maritime infrastructure remains today. These resources include:
Buildings. The recognized New Bedford [Waterfront] Historic District (a National Historic Landmark) contains a number of buildings, both commercial and residential, related to the city's history as a center of whaling. Despite some losses and intrusions, this district is noteworthy for its integrity of style and function. It is compact and cohesive, yet it is still able to represent the variety of buildings that served or depended upon the whaling industry.
The NHL nomination describes the following as the most significant buildings in the district:
United States Custom House. Designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument, and constructed by Seth H. Ingalls in 1834-36, this two-story granite ashlar building has a giant Doric portico and low hipped roof. An outstanding example of a Greek Revival public building, this imposing structure testifies to the economic importance of New Bedford at its peak and illustrates the registration and record-keeping aspects of whaling and its contribution to government revenues. In fact, for much of the whaling period, customs duties were principal source of government revenues.
New Bedford Institution for Savings. Attributed to Russell Warren and erected in 1853, this one-story structure is largely in the Italian Renaissance Revival style with brownstone front, brick sides and rear. With the Double Bank it conveys the commercial aspects of whaling and gives a sense of the economic impact of this industry.
Mariners' Home. Built circa 1790 as the residence of merchant William Rotch, Jr. and moved from its original location at William and North Water Streets, this Federal style building with clapboard front, brick ends, and hipped roof has a center hall plan with good detail and paneling, yet in all reflecting Quaker restraint. Beginning in 1857 it offered (and still offers) safe, moral, and clean lodging to visiting sailors, thus representing the lives and concerns of ordinary seamen.
Seamen's Bethel. Described by Melville in Moby Dick, this two-story frame church was built in 1832. It was rebuilt in 1867 after a fire, at which time the front elevation was redesigned and the present tower added. Everything about this structure, in which worship services are still offered, reminds us of the sea and its dangers. This is one of the oldest survivng mariner's churches which were visible examples of an early humanitarian effort for a downtrodden group.
Double Bank. Built between 1831 and 1835 from designs by Russell Warren in the Greek Revival Ionic temple style, the steps, foundation and front wall are of polished granite, with remainder of brick. The portico, supported by eight wooden columns and an interior wall, divides this "temple of finance" into halves.
Rodman Candleworks. Built in 1810, this three-story Federal-style building was constructed of stone and later stuccoed. It has quoined window and door frames and corner quoins. Built for the manufacture of spermaceti candles, it was the city's first candleworks and continued in this function until 1890, exemplifying the economic activity and employment derived from whaling.
Benjamin Rodman House. This Federal style mansion, built in 1820-21, exemplifies how the wealth created by whaling was translated into substantial, commodious residential architecture, yet tempered by the restrained Quaker taste.
Bourne Counting House (Merrill's Wharf Building). Built in 1847-48 and rehabilitated in recent years, this building is part of a relatively unaltered section of waterfront with direct links to the peak period of New Bedford whaling. It was the office of Jonathan Bourne, the most important owner of whaling ships of his day and a prominent early investor in textiles, symbolizing the transfer of whaling-derived wealth into new forms of investment. Structurally it is a massive granite block structure, originally three stories, now altered to three and one half. Its window fenestration was substantially altered in a contemporary rehabilitation, and it is the centerpiece of a separate (Merrill's Wharf) Historic District, approved in 1977.
Whaling Museum. Sponsored by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, the museum is a harmoniously linked cluster of twentieth century buildings in Georgian Revival style. It is here that the half scale ship, LAGODA is located. The collection is among the most important in the world.
Collections. The Whaling Museum (officially the Old Dartmouth Historical Society) contains an outstanding collection of artifacts related to whaling. LAGODA, a fully-rigged half-scale model of an actual whaling vessel, is especially notable. An excellent collection of paintings, with many portraits of New Bedford luminaries, represents another resource that contributes to humanizing and personalizing the whaling era.
Documentary Resources. The Whaling Museum and the Melville Whaling Room of the New Bedford Public Library between them contain what is probably the most comprehensive body of documentation related to the whaling industry in America. These holdings emphasize primary materials such as log books, journals and business records, as well as photos and published works. The Library has created a massive reference file of cards on whaling crews and vessels. Both institutions contain extensive holdings on related subjects such as Quakers and the Black community, as well as materials on other and sometimes derivative industries such as textiles. These resources, as well as the collections in the Whaling Museum, are among the key assets which support New Bedford's exceptional potential for interpretation.
ERNESTINA. The Schooner ERNESTINA (formerly the EFFIE M. MORRISSEY) is a National Historic Landmark and is included in the Maritime Heritage of the United States National Historic Landmark theme study. Built in 1894, it is described as one of two of "the oldest surviving Grand Banks fishing schooner, the only surviving nineteenth century Essex-built fishing schooner, and one of two remaining examples of the Fredonia-style schooner. It is also one of only two sailing Arctic exploration vessels left afloat in the United States." Though not built at New Bedford and not a whaling vessel, in an odd and unplanned way ERNESTINA embodies the several ages of New Bedford maritime history. In its original manifestation as a fishing vessel it pursued the same quarry and in much the same geographical area as the present fishing fleet. As an Arctic explorer it ventured into the forbidding regions once frequented by whaling vessels and recalls the contribution to Arctic exploration made by whalers, whether directly or by assisting formal expeditions of discovery.
Finally, in its last active career ERNESTINA participated directly in immigration and maintained personal links with the Cape Verde Islands that had been forged during the whaling era.
Conclusions
In the aggregate, New Bedford's whaling resources are stronger and more comprehensive than any alternative site in the United States such as Nantucket, Lahaina, Sag Harbor, or San Francisco. Taken together, the National Historic Landmark District, the National Historic Landmark Schooner ERNESTINA and other historic resources present in the adjacent historic districts at New Bedford that support the theme of whaling clearly meet the criteria for national significance. If the story of whaling, with the human themes that are rightfully embraced within it, is to be preserved and presented anywhere, New Bedford is the logical and most suitable location to do so.
