New Bedford, MA—Over the course
of the next six months, the City of New Bedford will be
working side by side with staff from New Bedford Whaling
National Historical Park to update the city’s current
system of outdoor interpretive “wayside” panels
and orientation maps, and to install a new exhibit at the
Waterfront Visitor Center. The project was made possible
by $400,000 in funds from the Federal Highway Administration’s
Public Lands Highways Program to the National Park Service
secured by the Massachusetts Congressional delegation in
2002. Planning and design has been underway for the past
two years. The beginning of the installation phase of the
project was heralded by the slow and steady removal of the
old system of wayside panels and orientation maps by municipal
employees that began last week.
Wayside Panels and Orientation Maps:
Throughout the National Park System, “wayside”
panels serve as captions on the landscape for visitors as
they explore our national park areas. They are most frequently
found literally “by the wayside” along a path
or trail. They are designed to help visitors understand
what they are looking at, what historical events may have
occurred at a site, and how a site or vista may have changed
over time. In New Bedford, over 42 waysides located throughout
the downtown and waterfront collectively make up “The
Nautical Mile” which helps to tell the story of the
city’s whaling, maritime and Underground Railroad
heritage. For this project, the National Park Service used
the existing wayside system installed over twenty years
ago as a template for replacement and updates. Installation
of the new wayside panels, as well as an updated system
of city and downtown maps at key visitor and parking locations
will begin after the spring thaw.
Waterfront Visitor Center Exhibit:
A Working Waterfront is the title of the new exhibit
that will be installed in the Waterfront Visitor Center.
Located in the former city Wharfinger Building alongside
the scallopers and draggers of the commercial fishing fleet,
the Waterfront Visitor Center serves over 7,000 thousand
people each year who come looking to learn more about our
working waterfront and our city. The building will close
to the public for several months as the building is prepared
to host the new exhibit. Exhibit installation is scheduled
for April and a ribbon cutting is planned for May 25.
The Wharfinger Building, erected in 1934-35 as a Work Projects
Administration (WPA) project, was the site of port's fish
auctions for many years, ending in 1985. Arthur Motta, the
City’s Director of Tourism and Marketing explains,
“Every morning, the bell at 0700 would open the scallop
auction that attracted scores of fishing captains, vessel
owners, processors, buyers and agents. Prices were set on
the massive black board. At 0800, the fish auction would
commence in the same fashion. It was over in 15-20 minutes.
Afterwards, buyers and sellers raced to a bank of pay telephones
mounted on an exterior wall to call in their deals. These
brief but frenetic assemblies generally set the market price
of seafood for the nation.”
The Working Waterfront exhibit will rely on first
hand accounts and vintage photos to tell the story of the
building’s history, including the morning auction,
which now takes place on-line. The old auction board will
serve as a backdrop to describe how fish travel from ocean
to table, the types of fish landed, and the port’s
fishing vessels. The National Park Service and the City
received considerable assistance with the exhibit from people
involved in the commercial fishing industry.
The National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center:
Throughout the world, the National Park Service is known
for the skill with which it preserves and protects America’s
special places. To assist more than 380 national park areas
in their efforts to share our cultural heritage, the National
Park Service has established centralized groups of professionals
who serve parks on a regional and national level. Located
in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, the National Park Service
Harpers Ferry Center serves as the design and interpretive
media center for America’s national parks. The Harpers
Ferry Center was responsible for planning, design and project
management for both the wayside and Waterfront Visitor Center
exhibit projects. A team of designers, writers, cartographers
and installation specialists worked closely with park and
city staff, as well as a wide range of local subject matter
experts throughout the project.
The City of New Bedford:
New Bedford is a vibrant commercial fishing port located
on the south coast of Massachusetts with a population of
nearly 100,000. The south coast region has a rich cultural
legacy harkening back to the days when people were drawn
to the area by the whaling industry, and then later by the
region’s textile and manufacturing industries, and
finally, by the fishing industry. The Port of New Bedford
now brings in the nation’s most valuable catch, due
largely to the Atlantic sea scallop. If you order sea scallops
at the restaurant or buy them at your local market, chances
are good that they came from New Bedford. The city has a
wide range of cultural institutions and is host to a variety
of celebrations and events.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park:
Established by Congress in 1996 to help preserve and interpret
America’s 19th century whaling and maritime history,
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is the only
National Park Service area established to commemorate the
whaling industry and its impact on the economic, social
and environmental history of the United States. The park
encompasses a 13-block National Historic Landmark District
and is managed in partnership with state and municipal agencies,
and nonprofit cultural institutions and organizations. The
wayside panel and Wharfinger Building exhibit projects were
identified as priorities in the park’s General Management
Plan (GMP) or “master plan” guiding park operations
and development over the next fifteen years.
More Information:
For more information on New Bedford Whaling National Historical
Park call (508) 996-4095 or visit the park’s website
at www.nps.gov/nebe. For more information on the City of
New Bedford, call the city’s Office of Tourism and
Marketing at (800) 508-5353 or visit the city’s website
at www.ci.new-bedford.ma.us.
Prepared February 19, 2004
-NPS-
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
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