Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of theWampanoag Indians. English colonists bought the land on which New Bedford would later be built from the Wampanoag in 1652, and the original colonial settlement that would later become the city was founded by EnglishQuakers in the late 17th century. The town of New Bedford itself was officially incorporated in 1787.
During the first half of the 19th century, New Bedford was one of the world's most importantwhaling ports.[4] At its economic height during this period, New Bedford was the wealthiest city in North America per capita. New Bedford was also acenter of abolitionism at this time. The city attracted many freed or escaped African-American slaves, includingFrederick Douglass, who lived there from 1838 until 1841.[5] The city also served as a setting inHerman Melville's 1851 novelMoby-Dick. From 1876 to 1900, New Bedford served as the initial home port for theRevenue Cutter School of Instruction, the precursor of theUnited States Coast Guard Academy.[6]
William Allen Wall's 1842 depiction ofWampanoag people meetingBartholomew Gosnold and his crew upon their arrival in New Bedford in 1602[8]
Before the 17th century, the lands along theAcushnet River were inhabited by theWampanoag Native Americans, who had settlements throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, includingMartha's Vineyard andNantucket. Their population is believed to have been about 12,000.
Territories of theWampanoag people around 1620, between first European explorations of the Acushnet River in 1602 and the establishment of Old Dartmouth in 1652.
Purchase deed from November 29, 1652, for Old Dartmouth.[10]
In 1652, English colonists purchasedOld Dartmouth—a region of 115,000 acres (470 km2) that is nowDartmouth,Acushnet, New Bedford,Fairhaven, andWestport—in a treaty between the Wampanoag, represented by Chief Ousamequin(Massasoit) and his sonWamsutta, andJohn Winslow,William Bradford,Myles Standish, Thomas Southworth, and John Cooke.[10][9] While the Europeans considered themselves full owners of the land through the transaction, the Wampanoag have disputed this claim because the concept ofland ownership—in contrast with hunting, fishing, and farming rights—was a foreign concept to them.[9]
At first, the Old Dartmouth territory was devoid of major town centers, and instead had isolated farms and small, decentralized villages, such asRussells' Mills.[14] One reason for this is that the inhabitants enjoyed their independence from the Plymouth Colony and they did not want the Plymouth court to appoint them a minister.[12]
At this time, the economy primarily ran on agriculture and fishing. The availability of land attracted many Quakers andBaptists fromNewport andPortsmouth inRhode Island, as well as more waves of Puritan migration.[citation needed]
The rising European population and increasing demand for land led the colonists' relationship with the indigenous inhabitants of New England to deteriorate. European encroachment and disregard for the terms of the Old Dartmouth Purchase led toKing Philip's War in 1675.[15] In this conflict,Wampanoag tribesmen, allied with theNarragansett and theNipmuc, raided Old Dartmouth and other European settlements in the area.[15] Europeans in Old Dartmouth garrisoned in sturdier homes—John Russell's home atRussells Mills, John Cooke's home inFairhaven, and a third garrison onPalmer Island.[15][16]
A section of Old Dartmouth near the west bank of the Acushnet River, originally called Bedford Village, was officially incorporated as thetown of New Bedford on February 23, 1787, after theAmerican Revolutionary War. The name was suggested by the Russell family, who were prominent citizens of the community. TheDukes of Bedford, a leading English aristocratic house, also bore the surname Russell. (Bedford, Massachusetts, had been incorporated in 1729; hence "New" Bedford.)
The late 18th century was a time of growth for the town. A small whale fishery developed, as well as modest international trade. In the 1760s, between theSeven Years' War and theAmerican Revolution, shipwrights, carpenters, mechanics, and blacksmiths, settled around New Bedford harbor, creating a skilled and comprehensive maritime community.
New Bedford's first newspaper,The Medley (also known as theNew Bedford Marine Journal), was founded in 1792.[17] On June 12, 1792, the town set up its first post office. William Tobey was its first postmaster. The construction of a bridge (originally a toll bridge) between New Bedford and present-day Fairhaven in 1796 also spurred growth. (Fairhaven separated from New Bedford in 1812, forming an independent town that included both present-day Fairhaven and present-day Acushnet.)
Nantucket had been the dominant whaling port, though the industry was controlled by a cartel of merchants in Boston, Newport, andProvidence. In the 1760s, Nantucket's most prominent whaling families moved to New Bedford, refining their own oil and making their own premium candles.
TheAmerican Revolutionary War completely paralyzed the whaling industry. TheBattle of Fairhaven, the first naval battle of the war occurred on 13 and 14 May 1775, in Buzzard's Bay.[18] While a Patriot victory, it did break the Royal Navy blockade nor preventGrey's Raid in September 1778 when British troopsmarched down King's Street (defiantly renamed Union Street after the Revolution) and set businesses on fire.[19][20]
Nantucket was even more exposed, and the physical destruction, frozen economy, and import taxes imposed after the war obliterated previous fortunes. New Bedford also had a deeper harbor and was located on the mainland. As a result, New Bedford supplanted Nantucket as the nation's preeminentwhaling port, and so began the Golden Age of Whaling.William Rotch (owner of theDartmouth of theBoston Tea Party) and Samuel Rodman were important Quaker businessmen in the whaling industry.[21]
The New Bedford waterfront in 1867
After theWar of 1812's embargo was lifted, New Bedford started amassing a number of colossal, sturdy, square-rigged whaling ships, many of them built at the shipyard ofMattapoisett. The invention of on-boardtryworks, a system of massive iron pots over a brick furnace, allowed the whalers to render high quality oil from the blubber.[22] This allowed the whaling ships to go out to sea for as long as four years, processing their catch while at sea.[22] Ships from New Bedford came back to port withbarrels of oil,spermaceti, and occasionallyambergris.[23]
Whaling dominated New Bedford's economy for much of the century, and many families of the city were involved with it as crew and officers of ships. The Quakers remained prominent and influential in New Bedford throughout the whaling era. They brought religious values into their business models, promoting stability as well as prosperity, investing in infrastructure projects such as rail, and employingwithout discrimination.[25] They established solid social and economic relationships withBoston,New York, andPhiladelphia, integrating New Bedford into theurban northeastern economy.
Ten thousand men worked in the whaling industry. During this period, New Bedford's population increased from approximately 4,000 in 1820 to about 24,000 in 1860.[26] At the height of the whaling industry in 1857, the harbor hosted 329 vessels worth over $12 million, and New Bedford became therichest city per capita in North America.[27]
On March 18, 1847, the town of New Bedford officially became a city; Abraham Hathaway Howland was elected its first mayor.
New Bedford also became one of the first centers ofabolitionism in North America, and an important stop on theUnderground Railroad. Many people were attracted by New Bedford's relatively open-minded atmosphere. For example,Paul Cuffe—anAshanti-Wampanoag Quaker and self-made tycoon[29]—among several other remarkable achievements earned black property owners in New Bedford the right to vote decades beforeAbraham Lincoln even signed theEmancipation Proclamation.[29]Lewis Temple, an African-Americanblacksmith, invented the Temple toggle iron, which was the most successful harpoon design.[30]Frederick Douglass, the famous social reformer and orator, also found amnesty in New Bedford and worked at the wharf for three years.[31]
The whaling industry went into decline after the1859 discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania. Each decade thenceforth saw a gradual decrease in whaling work, activity, and revenue. During the Civil War, theConfederacy engaged incommerce raiding with ships such as theAlabama, theFlorida, and theShenandoah, trying to attack theYankee whaling industry and sabotage the US economy.[32] Additionally, the US federal government bought several inactivewhalers, filled them with stones, sand, and dirt, and towed them toCharleston, South Carolina, where theUnion Navy sank what became known as theStone Fleet in an unsuccessful attempt to blockade the Confederate bay.[32] Along with the poor business and low whale populations, this dealt a potent blow to a failing industry.
New Bedford in 1876New Bedford Cotton Mill in 1923
In the midst of this decline, greater New Bedford's economy became more dependent on thetextile industry, which began to eclipse the whaling industry in the late 19th century. The mills grew and expanded constantly, eventually comprising multiple sites along theAcushnet River. In 1875 alone, theWamsutta Mills processed 19,000 bales of cotton into 20 million yards of cloth, which had a wholesale value comparable to that of the entire whaling catch, and continued to produce over 20 million yards of cloth yearly after 1883.[33] The Wamsutta Mills remained the world's largest weaving plant until 1892.[34]
The textile mills redefined wealth in New Bedford, and gave birth to a prosperity greater than that of the whaling industry.[35] New Bedford, funded by industrial fortunes, developed a thriving art scene. TheMount Washington Glass Company (which later becamePairpoint) crafted works of glass and silver for the newly affluent class, and examples of these works can be seen today on the second floor of theNew Bedford Whaling Museum.[citation needed]
In the 1920s, local employers came under competitive pressure from new textile factories in the low-wage South.[36] In April 1928 their demand for a 10 percent across the boardcut in wages was met with strike action. After considerable controversy control of the large-scale work stoppage passed from theCommunist-led Textile Mill Committee (TMC) to sundrycraft unions affiliated with theAmerican Federation of Labor who, agreeing to a five percent wage cut, ended the strike in October.[36] Wage reductions were not enough to arrest the long-term competitive decline of the local textile industry.
Until 1800, New Bedford and its surrounding communities were, by and large, populated by Protestants of English, Scottish, Welsh, and Dutch origin. During the first half of the 19th century many Irish people came to Massachusetts. In 1818, Irish immigrants established the Catholic mission that built St. Mary's Church. During theGreat Irish Famine of the 1840s, which was to drive many more across the Atlantic, with the town's whaling "aristocracy" (many of them Quaker) they were active in providing their compatriots with relief.[37] New Bedford's once significant Irish population declined in the 20th century; as with many immigrant groups, as they had become established they moved out to the suburbs.[38]
Later in the 19th century, immigrants fromPortugal and its colonial possessions in the Atlantic—Cape Verde, theAzores, andMadeira—began arriving in New Bedford and the surrounding area, attracted by jobs in the whaling industry; many had family members who had worked on whaling ships. The presence of Cape Verdeans in the New Bedford whaling fleet inspired the fictional characterDaggoo in Herman Melville's 1851 novelMoby-Dick.[39] As thePortuguese community began to increase in population, it established the first Portuguese parish in the city,St. John the Baptist (1871). However, many Cape Verdean Catholics encountered racial prejudice amongst the Portuguese parishioners and established the Our Lady of Assumption, the first Cape Verdean American church, in 1905.[40]
French Canadians also secured a foothold in New Bedford at about the same time, building the Church of the Sacred Heart in 1877,[41][42] as didPolish immigrants who in 1903 established the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (the church closed in 2022).[43]
A number ofJewish families, arriving in the mid 19th century from, were active in candle-making and in selling provisions and outfitting ships for the whaling fleet. During the years leading up to theFirst World War, a sizable eastern-European Jewish community joined them in New Bedford. Some became prominent merchants and businessmen, mainly in textiles and manufacturing.[44]
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 areSouthcoast Hospitals Group, one of the top ten employers in Massachusetts (healthcare),Titleist (golf clubs, balls, apparel, manufacturing), and Riverside Manufacturing (apparel manufacturing).
According to a 2001 study by theUniversity 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 asother 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. By 2009, in the midst of the economic crisis of the era, the unemployment rate got as high as 12.4%.
In 2005, the city received $104,925,772 for education, and $22,755,439 for general government from theState of Massachusetts.
In 2016, the city hopes its proximity to Massachusetts' southern coastline will allow it to become a center for the growingwind energy market. Three companies, OffshoreMW,Deepwater Wind, andDONG Energy, have leased portions of New Bedford's Marine Commerce Terminal for the staging of turbines and platforms.[45]
In 1847, the New Bedford Horticultural Society was begun by James Arnold.[46]
TheAsh Street Jail, which houses inmates from Bristol County, is located in New Bedford. It opened in 1829 and is the oldest continuously operating jail in the United States.[47]
Fort Taber and Fort Rodman (also called the "Fort at Clark's Point") were built during the American Civil War and are now in Fort Taber Park. Both forts are often called Fort Taber, including in some references.[48]
New Bedford is located at41°39′06″N70°56′01″W / 41.651803°N 70.933705°W /41.651803; -70.933705 (41.651803, −70.933705).[49] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.1 square miles (62.5 km2). Of the total area, 20.0 square miles (51.8 km2) is land, and 4.1 square miles (10.7 km2), or 17.13%, is water.[50] New Bedford is a coastal city, a seaport, bordered on the west by Dartmouth, on the north byFreetown, on the east byAcushnet and Fairhaven, and on the south byBuzzards Bay. From New Bedford's northern border with Freetown to the Buzzards Bay coast at Clark's Point the distance is approximately 14 miles (23 km). Across New Bedford east to west is a distance of about 2 miles (3.2 km). The highest point in the city is an unnamed hill crossed byInterstate 195 and Hathaway Road west of downtown, with an elevation greater than 180 feet (55 m) above sea level.[51]
ThePort of New Bedford, also known as New Bedford Harbor, a body of water shared with the town ofFairhaven is the estuary of theAcushnet River where it empties into Buzzards Bay. The river empties into the bay beyond Clark's Point, the southernmost point of the city. To the west of Clark's Point is Clark's Cove, which extends landward approximately one and one-half miles from the bay. Just south of Palmer's Island, beginning near Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, lies a two-mile-long hurricane barrier, constructed in the 1960s to protect the inner harbor where the fishing fleet anchors. Along with Palmer's Island, the city also lays claim toFish Island andPope's Island. Between these two islands lies one of the three sections, the central section, of the Roland J. Herbert Bridge (colloquially known as the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge). The central span, a swing bridge, connects the two islands as well as allowing boats and ships passage to the upper harbor. Two conventional bridges connect each of the islands to the nearest mainland, Fish Island to New Bedford and Pope's Island to Fairhaven. In addition to the harbor, there are several small brooks and ponds within the city limits.
New Bedford has a cooler than normal version of ahumid subtropical climate[53] that in many aspects resembles ahumid continental one, but with slightly milder winters. In spite of being influenced by continental winds with large differences between seasons, temperatures are somewhat moderated compared to areas farther inland. There is high precipitation year-round, with winter being split between rainfall and snowfall.[54]
Climate data for New Bedford, Massachusetts (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–2002)
New Bedford, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
New Bedford and surrounding communities are a part of theProvidence metropolitan area. The Greater Providence-Fall River-New Bedford area is home to the largestPortuguese-American community in the United States.
At the 2020census,[62] there were 101,079 people. The population density was 4,760 inhabitants per square mile (1,840/km2). There were 42,781 housing units at an average density of 2,063 per square mile (797/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.17% (66.1% Non-Hispanic)White, 9.69%African American, 0.1%Native American, 1.00%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 13.51% fromother races, and 3.92% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 16.11% of the population. The city is very multi-cultural and diverse. The ethnic makeup of the city is estimated to be 33.8%Portuguese, 10.1%Puerto Rican, 9.1%French, 8.8%Cape Verdean, 6.9%Irish, 5.3%English.
There were 39,208 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% weremarried couples living together, 20.9% 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.
Age distribution was 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.
Themedian household income was $37,569, and the median family income was $45,708. Males had a median income of $37,388 versus $27,278 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,602. About 17.3% of families and 20.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.
Map of racial distribution in New Bedford, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Multiracial⬤ Native American/Other
The city has a community ofKʼicheʼ people fromGuatemala who emigrated to the United States to avoid theGuatemalan Civil War.[63] Starting in the end part of the 1980s, Kʼicheʼ adult men inProvidence, Rhode Island moved to New Bedford, and other demographics of Kʼicheʼ came afterwards.[64] Many, by 2010, were in low socioeconomic conditions and did not have documentation to be legally in the United States.[63] In 2019 an advocacy group for theMaya people complained to the courts that theNew Bedford School District was not providing adequate Kʼicheʼ language services. TheU.S. Department of Justice and the school district came to resolution so the school district could provide appropriate Kʼicheʼ language services.[65]
New Bedford is often described as a city with a high crime rate relative to Eastern Massachusetts. However, New Bedford in recent years as a city with its crime rate has been generally decreasing. The city's crime rate, including violent and property crime decreased by 38% from 2011 to 2020 with 4456 incidents in 2011 and 2171 incidents in 2020.[66] Although New Bedford's crime rate has currently been on decrease, it cannot be yet considered a safe city compared to the U.S. national average crime rate. The FBI reported a violent crime rate in New Bedford, Massachusetts, of 640 per 100,000 residents in 2019, compared to a national average of 366.7 per 100,000 residents.[67][68] An FBI report in 2020 showed burglary and breaking and entering dropped about 52% from 969 crimes in 2011 to 465 crimes in 2019.[66]
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 majorwhaling and foreign trade port. In the early 18th century, the Russell family purchased this area and developed it into a larger village (Joseph Russell III having made the most significant contributions). Age of Sail ships built in New Bedford include the schoonerCaroline and whaleshipCharles W. Morgan. 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 wasJoseph 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 New Bedford residentLewis Temple invented thetoggling harpoon, an invention that revolutionized the whaling industry and helped make New Bedford its preeminent American city. Another factor was the increased draft of whaling ships, in part the result of greater use of steel in their construction, which made them too deep for Nantucket harbor.Syren, the longest lived of the clipper ships, spent over a decade transportingwhale oil and whaling products to New Bedford, principally fromHonolulu, and was owned for several years by William H. Besse of New Bedford. 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 quit their jobs in 1849, though, as theGold Rush attracted many of them to leave New Bedford for California. During this timeHerman Melville, who worked in New Bedford as a whaler, wrote the novelMoby-Dick and published it in 1851. The city is the initial setting of the book, including a scene set in theSeaman's Bethel, which still stands. Despite the power it gave to New Bedford, the whaling industry began to decline starting in 1859 whenpetroleum, which replacedwhale oil, was discovered. Another blow came with thewhaling disaster of 1871, in which 22 New Bedford whalers were lost in the ice off the coast of Alaska.[69] The New Bedford firmJ. & W. R. Wing Company, the largest whaling company in the United States, sent out its last whaleship in 1914,[70] and whaling in New Bedford came to its final end in 1925, with the last whaling expedition being made by the schoonerJohn R. Manta.
Hathaway Mills
In the mid-1840s, New Bedford was the site of the first petroleum fuel refinery in the United States, as newly discovered Pennsylvania crude oil was shipped to New Bedford to be refined for lamp oil and other oil. Standard Oil later bought this refinery, located on Fish Island.[71] Fish Island was also the site of an early experiment in coal gasification, leading to the explosion of a building.
New Bedford was able to remain wealthy because of itstextile industry. Starting in 1881, the textile industry grew large enough to sustain the city's economy. At its height, over 30,000 people were employed by the 32 cotton-manufacturing companies that owned the textile factories of New Bedford (which were worth $100 million in total). The creation of theNew Bedford Textile School in 1895–1899 ushered in an era of textile prosperity that began to decline in the great depression and ended with the end of the textile period in the 1940s. The industry garnered national headlines in 1928 when it was hit with astrike of 30,000 workers.[72] The walkout of mostly immigrant workers was given critical support by theWorkers (Communist) Party and was the precursor of a more tumultuoustextile strike in North Carolina held the following year.
Tool and die operations also left the area steadily, starting in the 1970s.
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 Whaling City Festival, Fourth of July, Jazzfest, Working Waterfront Festival, Polish Fest, New Bedford Day of Portugal, Senhor Da Pedra feast, Holy Ghost of Pico feast, and the PortugueseFeast of the Blessed Sacrament[73] (the largest Portuguese cultural celebration in the nation). Tourism also focuses on the historic whaling industry, and theNew 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. TheButtonwood Park Zoo features various species, including one [Asian elephant], Emily, the only one in New England.
Driven in part by increased tourism, aFairfield Inn and Suites hotel opened in New Bedford in late May 2010, on the edge of the city's harbor. This became the first hotel in the city to open in over 40 years, though it is well-supplied with bed and breakfast establishments.[74] A secondary hotel, New Bedford Harbor Hotel, opened during the summer of 2018.
Despite the historical decline of fishing and whaling in New England, thePort of New Bedford continues to be a leading fishing port. From 1999 to 2019, New Bedford has been the most valuable commercial fishing port in the United States.[7] In 2019 the port's catch was worth a total of $451 million.[7] Although New Bedford only brought in the 14th largest total volume of fish among American ports in 2019, its catch was still the highest-grossing because scallops accounted for 84% of the port's annual fishing revenue.[7]Dutch Harbor, Alaska, has the highest volume, at 763 million pounds, worth $182 million.[75]
New Bedford hosts theFeast of the Blessed Sacrament, theNew Bedford Folk Festival, the Whaling City Festival, Jazzfest, Working Waterfront Festival. In addition, AHA! (Art, History, and Architecture) Nights are free cultural events held monthly in downtown New Bedford.[81]
New Bedford is the home of theNew Bedford Whaling Museum, the centerpiece of theNew Bedford 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 the skeletons of a 66-foot-long (20 m) baby blue whale (obtained in 2000), a 35-foot-long (11 m) adult humpback whale (obtained in 1900), and a 45-foot-long (14 m) sperm whale (obtained in 2004) on display. All whales died in New England waters and were cleaned and assembled for display.[citation needed]
TheRotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum is a 28-room Greek Revival mansion that was built for the whaling merchant, William Rotch Jr., in 1834. Between 1834 and 1981, three prominent families owned the house. It was restored by theWaterfront Historic Area LeaguE (WHALE) in the early 1980s and converted into the house museum it is today, chronicling 150 years of economic, social, and domestic life in New Bedford.[83]
TheNew Bedford Fire Museum is housed in a red-brick building, formerlyFire Station No. 4, which opened in 1867. The fire station was one of the oldest continuously operating fire stations in the state when it was closed in 1979. The museum has a collection of old firefighting equipment and some old fire engines. Old city fire records dating to 1890 are available for research and review. Retired and active city firefighters act as docents.
TheNew Bedford Museum of Glass reflects the city's history as home of the Mount Washington andPairpoint Glass companies. The museum's collection ranges from ancient to contemporary glass with a large focus on the glass of New England. A research library contains over eight thousand volumes on glass. The museum is located in one of the historic Wamsutta Mills textile factory buildings.
New Bedford has had a sporadic history of successful musicians. During the 1970s,Tavares, aRhythm and blues 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), whose group member Harold "Devin" Lima is from New Bedford, had a hit single with their song "Summer Girls".Have Heart, aStraight-edgehardcore band, were formed in New Bedford in 2002, before breaking up in 2009. Most recently, the hardcore punk bandA Wilhelm Scream has gained some success, having been added to the 2005Warped Tour lineup. New Bedford natives Hector Barros and Scott Ross were members of thehip-hop groupMarky Mark and the Funky Bunch, led by actorMark Wahlberg. They achieved success with their 1991 single,Good Vibrations, which reached number one in the U.S., Sweden, and Switzerland.Josh Newton from the bandEvery Time I Die was born in New Bedford.
Summerfest, a multi-stage folk music festival at the State Pier, was inaugurated in 1996.[87] By 2012 the event was drawing 10,000 to 20,000 people and was rebranded as theNew Bedford Folk Festival.[88] The festival held its 25th and final event in 2022.[89]
New Bedford had aClass B level professional Baseball team called TheNew Bedford Whalers from 1895 to 1915.[90] They were a member of theNew England League from 1895 to 1913 and theColonial League from 1914 to 1915. The team folded after the 1915 season. A second team called theNew Bedford Millmen played for one season in 1929. A second Whalers team played in the New England League in 1933–1934.[91]
New Bedford is governed by a Mayor-Council form of government. City Council members serve two-year terms.[95] In 2019, following a change in the city charter, the mayoral term was doubled from two years to four years.[96] The council[95] and mayoral positions do not have term limits.[97]
The New Bedford Police Department patrols the city from four stations. The main station is on Rockdale Avenue in a converted supermarket plaza and replaces the former headquarters (located downtown). There are also branches in the North End (at the intersection of Tarkiln Hill Road and Ashley Boulevard), South End (along Cove Street near the end of Route 18), and Downtown (on Pleasant Street near City Hall). The Chief of Police is Joseph Cordeiro.
There are four post offices, the Central (modeled after New York'sJames A. Farley Post Office) located downtown, one in the South End, and two in the North End.
The city provides weekly trash and recycling pickup, and operated a trash dump in the Mount Pleasant area between the regional airport and the Whaling City Golf Course. Owing to pollution concerns, it closed in the 1990s.
The Bristol County Sheriff's Office operates theAsh Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up and the Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program (JALP) in New Bedford. The Ash Street jail houses over 200 pre-trial prisoners and a few sentenced inmate workers for the system. JALP houses up to 12 pre-arraignment juvenile prisoners.[100]
The city of New Bedford is currently protected by the city of New Bedford Fire Department (NBFD).[104] Established in 1834, the New Bedford Fire Department currently operates out of six Fire Stations, located throughout the city in two Districts, under the command of two District Chiefs per shift. The New Bedford Fire Department currently maintains and operates a fire apparatus fleet of six Engines, three Ladders, one Fireboat, one Air Cascade Unit, one Foam Trailer, and one ARFF Crash Rescue Unit (cross staffed by Engine 7) based at New Bedford Regional Airport and 4 reserve apparatus (3 engines, 1 ladder). The NBFD is made up of 203 full-time uniformed professional firefighters, including a Chief of department, a Deputy Chief, 10 District Chiefs, 12 Captains, 29 Lieutenants, 152 Firefighters, 4 Fire Investigators, and 5 Civilian Personnel. The New Bedford Fire Department responds to approximately 15,000 emergency calls annually.
In 2015, the New Bedford Fire Department received the "Class 1" ISO (Insurance Service Office) distinction becoming just the 3rd city in the state, Boston and Cambridge being the other two, to receive such a rating. New Bedford has been known to be a very aggressive interior attack department when responding to fire emergencies, and has been considered to be among the best in the state.
Below is a complete listing of all fire station and fire apparatus locations.[105] In addition to the seven Fire Stations, the NBFD also operates a fire apparatus maintenance facility/repair shop at 311 Liberty St., an Emergency Management facility at 834 Kempton St., and a Fire Museum at 51 Bedford St.
Fire Headquarters is located at 868 Pleasant St. and the Fire Prevention Bureau is located at 1204 Purchase St.
New Bedford Public Schools is the community school district.New Bedford High School is the sole public high school in the city. New Bedford is also the home toGreater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School. The city operates two alternative junior-senior high schools, Whaling City Alternative School, out of the original Greater New Bedford Vocational High School building, and Trinity Day Academy. There are also twocharter schools, the Global Learning Charter Public School, otherwise known as GLCPS,[106] which serves grades 5–12 and two campuses of the Alma del Mar Charter School, which serves grades K–8.[107]
There are threeCatholic schools within the city, operated by theRoman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. All Saints Catholic School was formed from a merger of the St. Mary and St. Joseph-Therese schools formed in 2010.[108] St. Teresa of Calcutta School, located in the former St. James St. John School, was created when that school and the former Holy Family-Holy Name School merged in 2022.[109] Some of the students who attend these schools go on to attendBishop Stang High School in neighboring Dartmouth.
There is also the Nazarene Christian Academy, a school operated by theChurch of the Nazarene. Independent schools include Nativity Prep for boys grades 5–8 and Our Sisters' School for girls grades 5–8.
New Bedford is home to one ofFisher College's neighborhood campuses. Located on Church Street in the north end of the city, it serves adult learners from the greater New Bedford region and surrounding communities.Bristol Community College has a satellite campus in downtown New Bedford in the Star Store Building and 800 Purchase Street. The town hosts the marine campus ofUniversity of Massachusetts Dartmouth at Fort Rodman as well as its satellite visual art campus in the former Star Store Building downtown.
The New Bedford public library was established in 1852.[110][111] In fiscal year 2016, the City of New Bedford spent 0.78% ($2,012,820) of its budget on its public library system—approximately $21.20 per person, per year.[112]
New Bedford is part of the Providence TV market but is the city of license for two TV stations;WLNE-TV Channel 6 is theABC affiliate for the market, andWLWC Channel 28 isCourt TV affiliate.The Portuguese Channel has its corporate offices and studios in the city at 638 Mount Pleasant Street in the Comcast building.
The city is home to three radio stations: FM stationsWJFD-FM/97.3 (Portuguese-language) andWCTK-FM/98.1, andWNBH-AM/1340 andWBSM-AM/1420. All four have served the residents of New Bedford for many decades, and WCTK also serves Providence. Much of the city also receives Providence and Boston stations.
The city is served by theNew Bedford Standard-Times andThe Portuguese Times newspapers.
In 2021, the "New Bedford Light"[119] was created as a free non-profit digital news site, featuring investigative and enterprise reporting to augment what had been a local news media environment in decades-long decline.
The Port of New Bedford is a major harbor for freight and passenger services, generating over $9.8 billion in economic value annually.[120] The port serves as a break-bulk handler of perishable items, including fruit, fish,[121] and a variety other cargo. The port is also a frequent stop for cruise ships, expecting an upwards of thirty cruise ship calls in 2006.[122] One public and several private marinas offer limited transient dockage for recreational boats.
A handful of privateferry services also originate from New Bedford. One such company,SeaStreak, offerscatamaran fast ferry service to Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven, both in Martha's Vineyard,[123] as well as Nantucket.[124] A separate passenger line, the Cuttyhunk Ferry Company, runs scheduled ferry services from New Bedford toCuttyhunk Island.[125] The neighboring town of Fall River is served by seasonal services to Newport and Block Island, both in the state of Rhode Island. The history of ferry service from New Bedford dates back to May 15, 1818, when a steamboat entitledThe Eagle carried six hundred passengers across theNantucket Sound.
New Bedford has historically been a major city for whaling and commercial fishing, and remains an important site for the latter to this day. As of 2020, the Port of New Bedford is the number one fishing port in the United States, in terms of dollar value of catch. New Bedford fisherman landed 124 million pounds of fish in 2015, valued at $322 million, and the fishing industry accounts for the vast majority of the Port's annual economic value.[120][126]
New Bedford Regional Airport (EWB), a towered Class D airport offering two 5,400-foot (1,600 m) runways and a precisionInstrument Landing System, is located in the central portion of the city with easy access to major highways.
In addition, the airport provides a wide range of general aviation and corporate jet services, including aircraft maintenance, fuel, and part 61 flight instruction.
Interstate 195 is the main freeway through central New Bedford, traveling fromProvidence, Rhode Island, toWareham. Additionally,U.S. Route 6 runs from east to west through the city as well. US 6 leaves the city toward Cape Cod over theNew Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge, a swing truss bridge, and the Popes Island Bridge. New Bedford also serves as the southern terminus ofMA Route 140, which is a freeway that connects toMA Route 24 in Taunton on the road north to Boston.MA Route 18, the extension of theJohn F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (which travels through downtown), is a freeway for the short stretch connecting I-195 to US 6 and the port area.
The city bus terminal offers local and long-distance bus connections. A free shuttle bus connects the bus terminal and the ferries. TheSoutheastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) provides bus service between the city,Fall River, and the surrounding regions.[128]
Lewis Temple was an African-Americanblacksmith who invented the toggle iron, a type oftoggling harpoon, which revolutionized the whaling industry and enabled the capture of more whales. There is a monument to Temple in downtown New Bedford.
In 1838,Frederick Douglass, therunaway slave who became a famousabolitionist, settled in New Bedford. He writes in detail about the life and times of New Bedford in the late 1840s in his celebrated autobiography.[132][133][134] A historic building and monument dedicated to Douglass can be found today at theNathan and Polly Johnson properties.Frederick Douglass was not the only fugitive slave or freedman to see New Bedford as a welcoming place to settle. New Bedford had a small but thriving African-American community during theantebellum period. It was the home of a number of members of the54th Massachusetts Regiment, anAmerican Civil War regiment which fought, with considerable distinction, to preserve theUnion. The 54th Massachusetts was the first regiment in the country's history formed entirely by African-American troops (who served with white officers). The most famous of these soldiers wasWilliam Harvey Carney, who made sure that the American flag never touched the ground during the Union assault onFort Wagner, South Carolina, nearCharleston. There is an elementary school in New Bedford named in his honor.
Patrick Cunningham was an Irish immigrant who lived in New Bedford. He was an inventor known for building atorpedo which he later fired down a street in the city.[135]
Cheryl Ann Araujo (March 28, 1961 – December 14, 1986) A New Bedford resident and victim of a violent gang-rape at the now closed Big Dan's Bar at the age of 21. Her case would attract international attention due to being televised. Araujo died just four years later at the age of 25 in a car accident in Miami, Florida. Her rape case would inspire the plotline for the 1988 motion pictureThe Accused starring actressJodie Foster.
Clifford Warren Ashley, author, sailor, and artist, most famous forThe Ashley Book of Knots, an encyclopedic reference manual, copiously illustrated, on the tying of thousands of knots. InventedAshley's stopper knot
In 2002, the moviePassionada was filmed in New Bedford, making it the first film to be shot in the city in 45 years.[139] Previously, film directorJohn Huston shot a scene for the movie adaptation ofMoby-Dick in front ofSeamen's Bethel in 1956. All other exterior shots were made inYoughal instead.
The 2011 movieWhaling City, about the fight of an independent fisherman to save his boat and his way of life, is set in New Bedford and was filmed there.
A character named New Bedford appeared on aFamily Guy episode (in 2006) as a friend of another girl named Dakota. The show's fictional setting of Quahog, Rhode Island, is situated near New Bedford. In the tenth-season premiere "Lottery Fever",Peter Griffin mentions New Bedford while looking at scrimshaw of a whale sinking a whaling ship.
A board game set in the town called New Bedford was published in 2016. It focuses on building the town and the whaling industry.[140]
^MacEacheran, Mike (July 20, 2018)."The city that lit the world".BBC Travel.Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 22, 2021.
^MacEacheran, Mike (July 20, 2018)."The city that lit the world".www.bbc.com.Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2020.
^Weaver II, John R. (2001).A Legacy in Brick and Stone: American Coastal Defense Forts of the Third System, 1816-1867. McLean, VA: Redoubt Press. pp. 92–94, 103.ISBN1-57510-069-X.
^"Station: New Bedford COOP, MA".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. RetrievedMay 30, 2021.
^"Congressional Edition". U.S. Government Printing Office. June 17, 2017.Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. RetrievedNovember 18, 2020 – via Google Books.
^See, for example: Daniel Georgianna with Roberta Hazen Aaronson,The Strike of '28. New Bedford, MA: Spinner Publications, 1993.
^"New Bedford Folk Festival".New Bedford Folk Festival. Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. RetrievedMay 11, 2023., the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center announces the conclusion of the New Bedford Folk Festival
^"FacilitiesArchived January 3, 2012, at theWayback Machine." Bristol County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on January 30, 2012. "Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program 323 Mill Street New Bedford, MA 02740 " and "Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up 226 Ash Street New Bedford, MA 02740 "
Gelbert, Doug.A Walking Tour of New Bedford, Massachusetts (2009)
Heath, Kingston Wm., "Whalers to Weavers: New Bedford's Urban Transformation and Contested Identities,"IA: Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology 40 (no. 1 and 2, 2014), 7–32.
Core cities are metropolitan core cities of at least a million people. The other areas are urban areas of cities that have an urban area of 150,000+ or of a metropolitan area of at least 250,000+. Satellite cities are in italics.
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