Suitability

Introduction
The chapter on significance describes the historical and cultural resources of the city and suggests that certain areas are of national significance. In addition, National Park Service management policies require that sites under consideration for inclusion in the National Park System be evaluated for their suitability.

The guidelines for suitability state that proposed new sites should represent a cultural theme or type of recreational resource that is not already adequately represented in the System or is not comparably represented and protected for public enjoyment by some other land-managing entity. Adequacy of representation is determined on a case-by-case basis by comparing the proposed area to other units of the System for differences or similarities in the character, quality, quantity or combination of resources and opportunities for public enjoyment.

This chapter determines the suitability of including New Bedford in the National Park System by examining National Park sites and other sites around the country and determining the extent to which the story of whaling is already being told. In addition, the chapter explores potential themes for interpretation in New Bedford.

Adequacy of Representation of the Theme
In order to determine the adequacy of representation of the theme, the study team researched other sites where whaling is possibly being interpreted. The research included both National Parks and other sites in the United States. After completing the preliminary research, team members visited selected National Parks and other sites which appeared historically or thematically linked to New Bedford to determine if New Bedford is the best place to tell the story of whaling. National Parks were visited in Boston and Salem, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California. Other sites were visited in Gloucester, Nantucket, Plymouth and Sharon (all in Massachusetts) as well as Mystic, Connecticut.

National Park Sites. The following is a description and overview assessment of the National Parks that were visited.

Boston National Historical Park (Charlestown Navy Yard), Boston, MA. This National Park tells the story of America's naval history through historic buildings, drydocks, a museum, and the USS CONSTITUTION, the country's oldest and best known sailing fighting ship. Whaling is not an interpretive theme in Boston.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Salem, MA. This National Park, established in 1937, has a general maritime trade theme and includes wharves, an historic warehouse, and the U.S. Customs House. It tells the story of one of the nation's greatest mercantile centers including its trade with the Orient. The history of whaling is not the focus, and it is not interpreted at the site.

San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, San Francisco, CA. The predominant theme of San Francisco Maritime, exemplified through its collection of historic vessels, is San Francisco's importance as a nineteenth century maritime transportation hub and port. Whaling ships returning from the Pacific to off load their oil and to re-stock for further expeditions is just one of the stories presented at this Park. The Park is located along the city's central waterfront area and includes a maritime museum, waterfront park, the large Hyde Street Pier and a collection of sailing and steam-powered vessels. The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park has the largest collection of historic vessels that sailed the Pacific Coast and Ocean. While the saga of whaling ended on the West Coast, it began on the East Coast and New Bedford's National Landmark District survives as authentic and singular evidence of New Bedford's importance in the story.

Although there are important archival resources at San Francisco's National Park Service library relative to the history of whaling, the interpretation of whaling is not the primary theme of the site. The story of American whaling as a major industry ends in San Francisco, where the industry moved toward the end of the nineteenth century. Whaling ships from New Bedford used San Francisco as their Pacific port and eventually moved their base of operation to the city to continue whaling in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

Other Sites. Several other sites, not in the National Park System, were also examined to determine the extent to which they interpreted the whaling theme. They are described in the following paragraphs.

Gloucester, MA. There is currently a National Park Service Special Resource Study being conducted for that community. The themes of fishing and the visual arts are being explored. Gloucester was not a whaling center so whaling is not one of the themes being evaluated.

Historic Nantucket, Nantucket Island, MA. According to Nantucket Visitors Guide, Historic Nantucket "...is a collection of eleven buildings throughout the town which are owned by the Nantucket Historical Association. Together, they portray how islanders lived and worked as the island developed: from a small farming community, to the center of America's whaling industry and eventually, to an important summer resort". The Historical Association also manages a Nantucket historical museum, a whaling museum, libraries, archival and artifact collections as well as a variety of public programs. Nantucket Island, as a whole, is a National Historic Landmark.

Although whaling in North America started among Native Americans and on Long Island, the story of whaling as an industry begins in Nantucket, which was an early Quaker settlement. The Quakers initiated the whaling industry after learning how to catch whales from local Native Americans. As the industry evolved, deeper harbors were needed for larger boats, and mainland connections were needed to distribute products. These, among other economic factors, caused the early whaling industry to move its base from Nantucket to New Bedford.

While it was the New Bedford whalemen who wrote the longest and most important chapter in the history of American whaling, Nantucket is an important part of that story, too. The Nantucket Historical Society is interested in working with New Bedford to make that story known.

Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, MA. This museum has an excellent collection of scrimshaw, whaling era artifacts, and documents available for research. However, it is not located in a coastal community having historic associations with whaling.

Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT. According to its Statement of Purpose, Mystic Seaport is "...a nonprofit, educational maritime museum dedicated to the expansion of Man's knowledge and understanding of American maritime history by showing its impact on the economic, social and cultural life of the United States. Primary emphasis is on the maritime commerce of the Atlantic Coast during the nineteenth century."

The site is a re-creation of a New England maritime community located on 17 acres along a small inlet of Long Island Sound. Mystic Seaport has assembled a large number of historic buildings and vessels, provides educational programs and owns an extensive archive of maritime history. It was founded in 1961 and has always been privately owned and operated. Although the theme of whaling is not a primary focus, the facility owns the only surviving whaling vessel, CHARLES W. MORGAN, an historic whaling ship originally from New Bedford.

Primary Theme and Interpretive Concepts. Whaling is the primary theme evaluated in this study. As the result of research performed during this study, the study team concluded that the theme of whaling is not interpreted in a comprehensive manner anywhere in the country. New Bedford is one of three sites in America where whaling could be told through existing historic structures, archival records and extensive collections. The primary theme of whaling embraces many subthemes identified in the National Park Service Thematic Structure. The interpretive concepts are listed below.

Whaling. This interpretive concept embodies several components which are described in the paragraphs below.

History of Whaling. This interpretive concept could explore Native American whaling practices, settlement period and colonial centers on the eastern seaboard, Nantucket's rise to pre-eminence, the move to New Bedford, the post-Civil War decline, and the shift to San Francisco. This interpretive concept could also explore how whaling affected and was affected by the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War I.

Whaling Industry, Technology and Whaling Vessels. This interpretive concept could explore the changing design and construction of vessels, the changes of whaling tools and techniques, and the technological advances in refining whaling products. This in turn allows explanation of changes in species that could be caught and products developed from catch.

Whale Products in Nineteenth Century Life. This interpretive concept could explore the products of whaling and their uses, how business was structured, how much money was earned, the profits and wages, where money was invested (architecture, textiles) and the relationship to future economic development of the city.

Life on a Whaling Vessel. This interpretive theme could explore the work required and the daily routines, the search and the hunt, dangers of life at sea, processing techniques, food, diaries, scrimshaw/art work, and pay.

Economic and Social History. This interpretive concept embodies several components which are described in the paragraphs below.

Whaling Community Life. This interpretive concept could explore communication with ships, cycle of commerce, spiritual life, support businesses, and the family life of owners and employees.

Voyages to Different Worlds. This interpretive concept could explore where ships traveled in the world and what they found, life in different ports, the hardships of the Arctic, and the exploration of other parts of America.

Women and Whaling. This interpretive concept could explore women's roles in the community and at home, women's roles when they went on whaling voyages, and women's issues in the nineteenth century and in a Quaker community.

Resource Conservation. This interpretive concept could explore over-fishing in the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries and its effects on whale populations, saving whales, other nations' whaling treaties, and the future of the species. Comparisons to twentieth century over-fishing and natural resource conservation could be explored.

Cultural Diversity and Immigration. This third interpretive concept has several components described below.

Immigration. This interpretive theme could explore the patterns of immigration developed from whaling routes with emphasis on Portuguese and Cape Verdean immigration.

New Bedford and African-American History. This interpretive concept could explore the role of African-Americans in the whaling industry, the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement, Frederick Douglass, and the tolerance for cultural diversity in New Bedford.

The Role of Quakers. This interpretive concept could explore the role of Quakers, their dominance as ship owners, and their tolerance of cultural diversity as an influence on the development of the community.

Arts and Literature. This interpretive concept could explore New Bedford as an artistic influence on Melville, Emerson, Whitman and other writers and artists.

Conclusion
Based on the site studies and other research, the study team concluded that there is no location in the United State which comprehensively interprets the whaling era. Furthermore, the team concluded that there is no other site in the United States that has better or more comprehensive resources to interpret that era than does New Bedford. The city has an abundance of archival materials, artifacts, interpretive resources, historic properties and settings from the whaling era. Finally, the study team concluded that there is a wide array of themes and interpretive concepts that can be developed and presented effectively. With appropriate preservation and interpretation, these diverse resources offer extensive potential for the enjoyment of future generations.