Whaling Capital - New Bedford MA
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 41° 38.142 W 070° 55.260
19T E 339999 N 4611112
In 1857, ninety-five ships and barks left these wharves on whaling voyages. In that year the industry reached its peak, and half of the worldwide whaling was conducted from the New Bedford customs district.
Waymark Code: WM16C1V
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 06/26/2022
Views: 0
TEXT on Historical Marker
Whaling Capital
New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Whaling Capital-In 1857, ninety-five ships and barks left these wharves on whaling voyages. In that year the industry reached its peak, and half of the worldwide whaling was conducted from the New Bedford customs district. Before petroleum was discovered in 1859, whaling was the nation’s fifth most valuable industry. Nothing cast a brighter light than sperm whale oil; nothing lubricated high-speed or delicate machinery better.
The city’s whaling agents, who managed voyages for vessel owners---many agents were owners themselves---were among the richest people in the United States. In 1861 newspapers calculated that if wealth were shared equally, every man, woman, and child here would have more than $1,000, making New Bedford the nation’s richest city.
The baleen or “whalebone” of right and bowhead whales made whips, corset stays, skirt hoops, and other strong, flexible goods in a pre-plastic age.
Notwithstanding all we had been told of the thriving conditions of the town and the wealth of its inhabitants, we were unprepared to witness the forest of masts in the harbor and the crowded state of the wharves. A fleet of whale ships and other fishing vessels had a few days before returned, loaded with the most valuable spoils of the ocean. Boston Traveler, July 1830-(Whale ships in port, about 1870-Photos Courtesy New Bedford Whaling Museum)
Agency Responsible for Placement: National Park Service
County: Bristol
City/Town Name: New Bedford
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Not listed
Year Placed: Not listed
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