Crowded within the borders of New England are hundreds of museums covering all kinds of topics and industries.

The most interesting to me are those that celebrate the uniqueness of the region’s past, and whaling was an industry that brought fame and fortune to New England during its heydays in the 19^th century.

And the city of New Bedford in Massachusetts was at the center of whaling during its final period.

The town has preserved this heritage in a 13-block area of the downtown adjacent to the waterfront and known as the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

Within the National park area stands the New Bedford Whaling Museum with exhibits describing the history of the whaling industry in New England and containing the world’s largest collection of whaling artifacts.

Recently I had a chance to visit New Bedford and the museum for the first time and found a working waterfront with an active fishing fleet and an outstanding museum tucked away in a quiet corner of the downtown area. The museum was the highlight of my trip so I’ll focus this post on the whaling museum.

What to expect at the New Bedford Whaling Museum:

This is not a museum that attempts to compete with the whaling village re-creation theme at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, or the ocean creatures of New England Aquarium in Boston, but instead provides an account of whaling through the ages through a fascinating array of artifacts, skeletons, models, paintings and photograph collections.

The knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff of volunteers is on hand to answer questions on exhibits and provide details about life at sea for a sailor on a whaling vessel and the prey they hunted. There is a family and friendly atmosphere at this museum that invites exploration, questions, and involvement.

An orientation film in the theater covers the importance of the whaling industry and its world center in New Bedford - at one time Nantucket was its capital. New Bedford whale vessels predominately hunted sperm whales as they provided oil for lamps and spermaceti for candles.

Kobo and other highlights of my visit:

After the film you pass a 66-foot skeleton of a rare blue whale on your way to the main level exhibit rooms - this is quite a jaw-dropping experience, and Kobo - the skeleton’s nickname - was hit and killed accidentally off Nova Scotia and dragged into Narragansett Bay. The remains were offered to the museum in return for cleaning and displaying the bones. Just remember as you look at it this huge mammal it is a juvenile and only 4-years old - not a mature and full grown specimen. Absolutely amazing!

Other highlights of my visit was the half-scale Lagoda whaling bark which you can tour and hear the stories of the original Lagoda that sailed the Pacific during the 19^th century and became one of the most profitable vessels of the era, and my trip aboard the Fo’c’sle (forecastle).

The forecastle is the forward section of a whale ship where the crew had their quarters. It’s hard to imagine sailors spending years at sea with just these tiny and dark areas as their quarters and not going ma… well I guess some of them did.

More Information for your Trip:

Plan on at least a half-day visit to the museum to see all the galleries and exhibits.

The whaling industry and New Bedford saw a rapid decline when electricity replaced whale oil as the primary lighting source in homes. Today in America we tend to spend all our energies protecting these magnificent mammals rather than hunting them to almost extinction. The New Bedford Whaling Museum tastefully presents a New England heritage where whales were once key to the American economy and for many an opportunity to escape the poverty of Europe and live a better life.

For more information on exhibits, programs, admission and directions check out the New Bedford Whaling Museum here.

New Bedford is just one of many trip destinations in Massachusetts and for more suggestions be sure to check out our special Massachusetts section at our web site here.

Another New England post by one of our writers is being prepared right now so be sure to visit again or just subscribe to our RSS Feed here and get notified automatically of events and news.

Cliff Calderwood
Publisher
www.CompleteNewEngland.com

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