:: Southeastern Massachusetts Towns
Dartmouth
Points of
Interest: Apponagansett Bay - Padanaram Village, Concordia Boatworks
(Concordia yawls, Beetlecats and Marshall catboats) - Round Hill Point -
Children's Museum
Picturesque Padanaram Harbor in Padanaram Village, near Dartmouth, home of Concordia Boatworks (builder of Beetlecats, Marshall catboats and Concordia Yawls) is a lovely stop along Historic Route 6. On a more offbeat note, Dartmouth is also the home of Hetty Green's son's mansion on Smith Neck Road. Green, The "Witch of Wall Street", shrewdly invested her New Bedford family's whaling money but was notoriously miserly, refusing to pay a doctor when her son broke his leg. He got revenge by spending mom's fortune on this huge stone mansion, which is now condominiums.
Fairhaven
Points of Interest: Museum
of Fairhaven History - Slocum Memorial - Fort Phoenix - Fairhaven Shipyard -
Millicent Library - Unitarian Memorial Church
For much of the 19th century, Fairhaven, across the Acushnet River from New Bedford, shared the whaling activities with New Bedford. The town also produced cotton goods, leather goods, tinware and chairs. The Fairhaven shipyards were the birthplace of the Spray, which Capt. Joshua Slocum sailed single-handedly around the world, the first man to do so. At the turn of the century, Fairhaven native and Standard Oil Magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers transformed the town with his many civic improvements, including the Millicent Library, Unitarian Memorial Church and Town Hall. The Memorial Church alone cost Rogers nearly 2 million dollars. Italian stone cutters and Bavarian wood carvers were brought to America to help build this 15th century style cathedral. Rogers was largely responsible for saving financially troubled Mark Twain. The two became fast friends, and the author was soon a familiar sight around Fairhaven. Poverty Point with its narrow streets and many 18th and 19th century houses, remains much as was in Slocum's day.
Fall River
Points of
Interest: Factory Outlets - Battleship Cove - Highlands Historic District
- Taunton River - Columbia Street Portuguese & Azorean markets - bakeries
& bistros
Fall River is a small city rich with maritime and social history. Its factory outlets are regionally renowned. Fall River is also the home of Battleship Cove and of course the setting for Lizzie Borden's infamous 1892 crime.
Mattapoisett
Points of
Interest: Shipyard Park (Water Street) - Veterans Memorial Park - Neds
Point - Town Beach - Mattapoisett Museum & Carriage House (Church Street)
At one time, Mattapoisett had six shipyard's lining its waterfront and was renowned all over the world for its whaling ships. The Acushnet, on which Herman Melville sailed in 1840, was built here. Narrow and quaint Water Street contains 18th and 19th century houses.
Housed in an 1821 church, the Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum and Carriage House contains a lovely collection of historical objects donated by town residents. There are a variety of exotic things brought back from the Orient by sea catains, as well as commonplace antique farm tools.
New Bedford
Points of Interest:
Whaling Museum - Seaman's Bethel - Fort Phoenix Waterfront State Park -
Clark's Cove - Historic New Bedford Waterfront - Fire Museum
In 1836 New Bedford was the whaling capitol of the universe, with 170 full-rigged whaling ships calling it homeport and 4,000 deckhands bringing in almost half of all the whale oil in America. At that time whale oil was the only fuel for lamps, and New Bedford was one of the country's richest cities, having grown 47% in the previous six years.All this heritage has been saved for you in the downtown and waterfront areas with museums, restaurants and a "whale of a lot of fun".
New Bedford Historical District - New England's Real Seaport
The Seamens' Bethel built in 1832 is known as the Whaleman's Chapel
and is described in Moby Dick. Next door is the Mariner's Home,
still used today as an overnight haven for fishermen only. Everything about
this Greek revival style building reflects the sea. The pew cushions are made
of sail canvas, and the cenotaphs lining the walls memorialize sailors lost at
sea.
The New Bedford Waterfront Visitors Center offers free walking tours during August or you can pick up a "Dock Walk" brochure at the center and do the tour on your own.
Wareham
Points of
Interest: Cape Cod Ship Building - Tremont Nail Co.- 54 miles of beaches -
Capt. John Kendrick Maritime Museum - Fearing Tavern - Bates House - Broad
Marsh - Onset Victorian Village - Cape Cod Canal
Onset Beach has free parking year round and has modern, clean changing and bathroom facilities. This Victorian Village is a quaint reminder of our past.
Fearing Tavern is believed to be Wareham's oldest house and has a fascinating history - during the War of 1812, more than 200 British marines marched to the tavern before burning a cotton factory.
Westport
Points of
Interest: Horseneck Beach - Westport Point Village (18th & 19th
century sea captain's homes)
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