New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in
Bristol County,
Massachusetts, about 56
miles (90
kilometers) south of
Boston and 31 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of
Providence,
Rhode Island. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 93,768. New Bedford is nicknamed "The Whaling City" due to the fact that it was one of the most important ports for the
whaling industry. The city is considered one of the two major cities along the area of Massachusetts known as the
South Coast (along with
Fall River). The mayor of New Bedford is Scott W. Lang.
Early history
Prior to the
1600s, the
Wampanoags, who had settlements throughout south-eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including
Martha's Vineyard and
Nantucket, were the only inhabitants of the lands along the
Acushnet River. Their population is believed to have been about 12,000. While exploring
New England,
Bartholomew Gosnold landed on
Cuttyhunk island on
May 15,
1602. From there, he explored
Cape Cod and the neighboring areas, including present-day New Bedford. However, rather than settle the area he returned to
England at the request of his crew.
New Bedford was first settled by European settlers in
1652. The land was purchased by the settlers of the
Plymouth Colony from chief
Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe. Whether or not the transfer of the land was legitimately done is a matter of debate; the tribe claims that they were unaware at the time that the land would be taken from them permanently. The settlers used the land to build the colonial town of Old Dartmouth (which encompassed not only present-day
Dartmouth, but also present-day New Bedford,
Acushnet,
Fairhaven, and
Westport). A section of the colony near the west bank of the Acushnet River, originally called Bedford Village, was officially incorporated as the town of New Bedford in
1787. The name was suggested by the Russell family, who were prominent citizens of the community. It comes from the fact that the Duke of Bedford was a member of the Russell family. (
Bedford, Massachusetts had already been incorporated by 1787; hence "New" Bedford.)
The late 18th century would be a time of growth for the town. New Bedford's first newspaper,
The Medley (also known as
New Bedford Marine Journal), came into being in
1792. On June 12, 1792, the town set up its first post office with William Tobey as its first postmaster. Most notably though was the creation of a bridge (originally a toll bridge) between New Bedford and present-day Fairhaven in
1796. Fairhaven would later separate from New Bedford in
1812, becoming its own town that included both present-day Fairhaven and present-day Acushnet. The town of New Bedford officially became a city in
1847, with Abraham Hathaway Howland elected as its first mayor.
Immigration in New Bedford
The early 19th century brought with it the immigration of Irish people to Massachusetts. In
1818, immigrants in New Bedford set up a Catholic mission that built St. Mary's Church within the next two years. In the late 19th century, immigrants from
Portugal began to make their homes in New Bedford and the surrounding cities. As the
Portuguese community began to build, they established the first Portuguese parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, in
1871; the full church would not be completed for another four years. A French community would also come into being in the same decade, building The Church of the Sacred Heart in
1877. As the century came to a close, Polish immigration increased, with its rise marked by the establishment of the parish Our Lady of Perpetual Help in
1903.
African American history in New Bedford
In
1838,
Frederick Douglass, a runaway slave who later became a famous abolitionist, settled in New Bedford.
[Conery, Ben. "Douglass reading stirs abolitionist roots". The Standard-Times. February 17, 2003. Accessed May 29, 2006.]["Frederick Douglass". pbs.org. Accessed May 29, 2006.] A historical building and memorial dedicated to him exist in the city today. New Bedford was also the home of some members of the
54th Massachusetts Regiment, an
American Civil War regiment fighting for the Union and the first ever all-African-American regiment in the country's history. Most famous of these soldiers was
William H. Carney, who made sure that the American flag never touched the ground during the attack on
Fort Wagner. There is a school named in his honor in New Bedford today.
|
A view of New Bedford from the harbor |
New Bedford is located at (41.651803, -70.933705). According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.2
km² (24.0
mi²). 52.1 km² (20.1 mi²) of it is land and 10.1 km² (3.9 mi²) of it (16.23%) is water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 93,768 people, 38,178 households, and 24,090 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,799/km² (4,660/mi²). There were 41,511 housing units at an average density of 797/km² (2,063/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.86%
White, 4.39%
African American, 0.62%
Native American, 0.65%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 9.51% from
other races, and 5.92% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 10.21% of the population. The ethnic makeup of the city is 38.6%
Portuguese, 9.1%
French, 8.0%
Cape Verdean, 7.9%
Irish, 7.3%
English, and 7.1%
Puerto Rican.
There were 38,178 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were
married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,569, and the median income for a family was $35,708. Males had a median income of $31,388 versus $22,278 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $15,602. About 17.3% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.
Historic
|
View of historical New Bedford harbor |
The economy of the Pilgrim settlement in the New Bedford area was initially based around a few farming and fishing villages. The early Bedford Village quickly became a commercial zone and from there became a major
whaling and foreign trade port. In the early
1700s, the Russell family purchased this area and developed it into the a larger village (Joseph Russell III having made the most significant contributions). By the 18th century, entrepreneurs in the area, such as whaling merchants from Nantucket, were attracted to the village and helped make it into one of the top whaling cities in the country. The most significant of these merchants was
Joseph Rotch, who bought ten acres (four hectares) of land in
1765 from Joseph Russell III on which he and his sons ran the family business. Rotch moved his business to New Bedford since it would be better for refining whale oil and manufacturing candles made from whales. As these parts of the whaling industry had been monopolized by a merchant cartel in
Boston,
Newport, Rhode Island, and
Providence, Rhode Island, Rotch felt that it would be better for business to handle these himself by moving to the mainland.
The relationship between New Bedford and Nantucket allowed the two cities to dominate the whaling industry. In
1848 Lewis Temple invented the
toggle harpoon, an invention that would revolutionize the whaling industry. This helped make New Bedford more powerful than Nantucket, thus making it the most powerful city in the whaling industry. As a result of its control over whaling products that were used widely throughout the world (most importantly whale oil), New Bedford became one of the richest per capita cities in the world.
Many whalers would quit their jobs in
1849, though, as the
Gold Rush attracted many of them to leave New Bedford for
California. During this time
Herman Melville, who worked in New Bedford as a whaler, wrote the novel
Moby Dick and published it in
1851; the city would be the initial setting of the book, including a scene set in the
Seaman's Bethel, which still stands today. Despite the power it gave to New Bedford, the whaling industry began to decline starting in
1859 when
petroleum, which would become a popular alternative to
whale oil, was discovered. Whaling in New Bedford eventually came to a halt in
1925, with the last whaling expedition being made by the
John R. Manta schooner.
However, New Bedford was able to remain wealthy due to its
textile industry. Starting in
1881, the textile industry grew large enough to sustain the city's economy, and the creation of the
New Bedford Textile School in
1895-
1899 ushered in an era of textile prosperity which began to decline in the great depression and ended with the end of the textile period in the
1940s.
At its height, though, over thirty thousand people were employed by the thirty two cotton manufacturing companies that owned the textile factories of New Bedford (which were worth one hundred million dollars in total).
Tool and die operations also left the area steadily, starting in the
1970s.
Until the mid-
1990s New Bedford was home to a thriving commercial fishing community that fished
Georges Bank, but in 1996 action was taken to reduce over-fishing, which devastated commercial fishing in the area.
Modern
|
View of ships docked at New Bedford |
Fishing and manufacturing continue to be two of the largest businesses in the area, and healthcare has become a major employer. The three largest single employers based in New Bedford are Southcoast Hospitals Group, one of the top ten employers in Massachusetts (healthcare), Titleist (miscellaneous manufacturing), and Riverside Manufacturing (apparel manufacturing).
While accurate figures are hard to come by,
tourism appears to be a growing industry. New Bedford tourism centers on fairs and festivals including the Summerfest Folk Music and Arts Festival, the traditional Blessing of the Fleet, and the Feast of the
Blessed Sacrament (the largest
Portuguese cultural celebration in the nation). Tourism also focuses on the historic whaling industry, and the
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is the only national park unit that focuses on the whaling industry's impact on the
history of the United States.
According to a 2001 study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis, the three largest employment sectors in the Greater New Bedford area (the area includes New Bedford and Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Wareham) were as follows: services (26% of total employment); wholesale trade (22%); manufacturing (19%). The largest industries by employment in the area were as follows: health services, eating and drinking places, wholesale trade, food stores, and social services.
In
2002, the city received $61,194,358 in taxation revenue, $44,536,201 in local receipts, and $12,044,152 classified as
other available.
In
2005 the unemployment rate was 7.3%, having dropped throughout the
1990s from 12.5% to 5.3% in
2000, and then having risen to 10.4% in 2003.
In 2005, the city received $104,925,772 for education, and $22,755,439 for general government from the
State of Massachusetts.
Entertainment
New Bedford has had a sporadic history of successful musicians. During the 1970s, the
Tavares, a
soul music group made up of five brothers from New Bedford, became a chart topping success with such songs as "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" and "More Than a Woman". In 1999, the pop group LFO (
Lyte Funky Ones), who's group member Harold "Devin" Lima is from New Bedford, had a hit single with their song "Summer Girls". Most recently, the hardcore punk band
A Wilhelm Scream has gained some success, having been added to the 2005
Warped Tour lineup.
In 2002, the movie
Passionada was filmed in New Bedford, making it the first film to be shot in the city in 45 years. Previously, film director
John Huston shot a scene for the movie adaptation of
Moby-Dick in front of
Seamen's Bethel in 1956. However, all other exterior shots for New Bedford in the film were shot in
Youghal instead.
Museums
New Bedford is the home of The
New Bedford Whaling Museum, the centerpiece of the Whaling National Historical Park. It is the country's largest museum on the subject of whaling and the history of interaction between humans and whales. The Museum has large skeletons of a blue whale and a sperm whale on display. Both whales died in New England waters and were cleaned and assembled for display.
The Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, is a 28 room Greek Revival mansion was built for whaling merchant William Rotch, Jr. in 1834. The House was owned by three prominent families between 1834-1981 and chronicle 150 years of economic, social and domestic life in New Bedford.
The New Bedford Art Museum, is located in the heart of New Bedford's Historical Downtown. The Museum offers engaging exhibitions of artwork from around the corner and across the ocean.
Parks
*Ashley Park
*Buttonwood Park (designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted) and
Buttonwood Park Zoo*Brooklawn Park
*Clasky Common
*Fort Taber Playground
*Hazelwood Park - located in the South End, the park overlooks the beaches of Clark's Cove, and is enjoyed for the unique game of
Bowls, or bowling on the green.
*
Prince Henry the Navigator Park - located between
Fairhaven and New Bedford.
*Riverside Playground
In 2000,
crime had dropped to a 20-year low with 3,166 total crimes tracked by the Crime Reporting Unit of the Massachusetts State Police, of which 789 were violent crimes (the lowest violent crime rate since
1975), and 2,377 were property crimes.
["State and National Crime Data". Massachusetts State Police. Retrieved July 24, 2005.]The
Lizzie Borden murder trial was held in New Bedford. Almost a century later, the defendants in the Big Dan's bar gang rape on March 6, 1983 were held in the same courthouse. The film
The Accused, starring
Jodie Foster, is based on this event.
One of the first Roman Catholic priest pedophilia cases, that of Father James Porter who was accused and convicted of multiple accounts of molestation and rape of young children in the 1960s and 1970s, was tried in New Bedford.
According to witnesses and police, on February 1, 2006,
Jacob D. Robida attacked and seriously wounded three patrons of Puzzles Lounge, a New Bedford gay bar.
[Arce, Rose; Byron, Katy; Feyerick, Deborah; & Gilbert, Alison. "Man, 18, sought after gun, hatchet attack at gay bar". CNN.com. February 2, 2006.] He fled to
Arkansas where he murdered a female companion and a police officer and later died from wounds (seemingly self-inflicted) received in a shootout.
Ferry service from New Bedford dates back to
May 15,
1818, when the steamboat The Eagle carried 600 passengers across the
Nantucket Sound. New England Fast Ferry company currently offers fast ferry service between New Bedford and
Martha's Vineyard (slow, or traditional, ferry service is no longer available as of the 2006 season). Two different ferry services run to
Cuttyhunk Island, one based at State Pier, and one at Fisherman's Wharf.
Highways
I-195 and
US 6 run from east to west through the city.
US 6 leaves the city over the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge, a swing truss bridge, and the Popes Island Bridge. New Bedford is the southern terminus of
MA 140, which is highway-grade to
MA 24. It is also the terminus for
MA 18, which is highway-grade from I-195 to the state pier and is also known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (the name itself extends on the road to Cove Rd).
The Port of New Bedford serves as a breakbulk handler of perishable items, including fruit and fish. The port also handles other cargo. The port sees upwards of 30 cruise ship calls each year. One public and several private marinas offer limited transient dockage for recreational boats. In addition, the port is the top U.S. fishing port in terms of dollar value of catch.
New Bedford Regional Airport, a towered airport offering two 5000 foot runways and a precision instrument landing system, is located in the central portion of the city with easy access to highways. Frequent scheduled passenger service is provided to
Nantucket and
Martha's Vineyard by Cape Air, and scheduled cargo service to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard by Boston-Maine Airways. Charter services, including seaplane charters, are available for destinations throughout the southern New England/New York region. In addition, the airport provides a range of general aviation and corporate jet services including aircraft maintenance facilities and flight instruction.
The city bus terminal offers local and long distance bus connections. The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) provides bus service between the city,
Fall River, and the surrounding regions. Private carrier DATTCO provides daily commuter bus service to
Boston via
Taunton, and Peter Pan Bus Lines offers bus service to Boston,
Providence,
New York City, and points beyond. A free shuttle bus connects the bus terminal and the ferries.
There are plans by the
MBTA to provide
commuter rail service to the city. Though there has been some infrastructure work in the region, as of 2006 physical work on the line has not started. Limited freight rail service has been reinstated to New Bedford, serviced by
CSX Transportation.
New Bedford has been the birthplace or home of many well-known individuals (and organizations) who have influenced society, the arts, and American culture over the years.
*
James Arnold: Whaling merchant whose estate is now the Wamsutta Club in New Bedford. He also donated the fortune that created the
Arnold Arboretum in Boston.
*
Berkshire Hathaway: The most highly valued publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange, and owned by
Warren Buffet, was headquartered in the city until it was bought out by Mr. Buffett and turned into the most successful holding company in the U.S.
*
Albert Bierstadt: 19th-century German-born artist whose depictions of the American West were well known throughout the country.
*
Frederick Douglass: Famous 19th-century abolitionist and editor.
*
William Greenleaf Eliot, Jr: Co-founder and benefactor of Washington University of St. Louis. Grandfather of
T.S. Eliot.
*
Marie Equi: 19th-century doctor, labor activist, anarchist and
Wobbly.
*
Charles Reis Felix: Author whose books celebrate and honour immigrant New Bedford.
*Charles Manuel "Sweet Daddy" Grace (also known as Marcelino Manuel da Graca): Founder of the
United House of Prayer For All People.
[McNamara, Bill. "'Sweet Daddy' Grace revisited". The Standard-Times. October 21, 1996. Accessed July 30, 2006.]["Religious Movements Homepage: Charles 'Sweeet Daddy' Grace and the United House of Prayer for All People". Accessed July 30, 2006.]*
Hetty Green: Prominent businesswoman, one of the wealthiest women in America. Amassed a significant fortune from the stock market in the late 19th century.
*
Carol Haney: Famous choreographer, principle assistant to
Gene Kelly, and worked on
Singin' in the Rain.
*
Allen Haskell: World-renowned horticulturist. His clients included the White House, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., Jacqueline Kennedy Onnasis, and the royal family of Holland.
*
Sloane Heffernan: Reporter and anchor of NBC-2 News in Florida.
*
Brian Helgeland: Successful screenplay writer of
Mystic River,
Conspiracy Theory, and
L.A. Confidential fame.
*
Irwin Jacobs: Founder and CEO of San Diego-based
Qualcomm. Pioneer of mobile phone CDMA digital wireless technology.
*
Ris Lacoste: Prominent female chef in Washington, D.C.
*
Albert Pinkham Ryder: 19th-century, one of the most distinctive painters in the history of American art.
*
Tarek Saab: Young, successful enrepreneur featured on Donald Trump's 2006 TV show
The Apprentice. (Fired 5/2/06).
*
Pink Snow: Lead singer of theatrical erotic rock band
Erocktica and prominent individualist feminist.
*
Andrew Thomas: First non-European CEO and President of Heineken Beer, U.S. Division.
*
John Tukey: Statistician whose usage of the term "software" and "bit" were believed to be the first in written history.
New Bedford is a
sister city (that is, a twinned town) of these municipalities:
*
Barrow,
Alaska*
Funchal,
Madeira*
Horta,
Azores*
Mindelo,
Cape Verde*
Tosashimizu,
Japan[Leary, Richard. "New Bedford's Sister Cities". NewBedford.com. Retrieved June 24, 2005.]*
List of historic houses in Massachusetts*"
From Old Dartmouth to New Bedford".
WhalingMuseum.org. Retrieved May 21, 2005.
*
Official web site of the City of New Bedford*
New Bedford Whaling Museum*
Portuguese Feast of the Blessed Sacrament*
News, Sports, Weather*
NewBedford360.com - Greater New Bedford's Community Calendar*
WhalingCity.info, a New Bedford Resource Directory*
Southeastern Regional Transit Authority*
The New Bedford Historical Society
