View of the New Bedford wharf from Centre Street

The National Park Service has put together a walking tour of the downtown historic district of New Bedford. The tour mainly covers the immediate area surrounding the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center, but also includes a side trip to the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum on County Street. Total distance of the walk is about two miles.

A second walking tour, the Working Waterfront Dock Walking Tour, covers the wharf area from the north end at the Wharfinger Building to Leonard’s Wharf at the south end. The New Bedford Historic District Walking Tour also covers the wharf, but does not proceed as far south. However, it only takes fifteen extra minutes round-trip to walk down to Leonard’s Wharf, so if you pick up a Working Waterfront Dock brochure at the Visitor Center you might was well take in the entire area.

There are also brochures for four other walking tours of New Bedford: Acushnet Heights, County Street, West of County Street, and Kempton’s Corner. A portion of County Street, where many elegant mansions built with whaling money are located, is on the route of the Historic District Walking Tour, but the County Street tour covers much more of the street. The rest of the tours are outside the boundary of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, so I did not do these walks and cannot comment on them.

Stops on the tour consist of historical buildings that were preserved by the Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE (WHALE). In the 1960s and 70s many historical buildings were in poor shape and slated for demolition, or were simply in the way of progress. WHALE was able to raise funds to purchase many of these, and in some cases restore and even move them to new locations. The goal was not to turn them into museums, but to either sell them to people who would maintain and use them appropriately, or rent them out as commercial spaces. Thus, most of the buildings you will see on the tour are not open to the public. All you can do is read the information panel at the sidewalk and continue on.

Buildings that are open to the public include the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, the Seamen’s Bethel, the Mariners’ Home, the Wharfinger Building, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum. I stopped at all of these for a very thorough visit—spending much more time than the average tourist—and it took me all day, 9 AM to 5 PM. The day before, I spent three additional hours at the Visitor Center and taking in a Ranger-guided tour of a small section of the historic district.

The New Bedford Historic District Walking Tour brochure is simply a street map with a dotted line marking the route, so you can cover the ground any way that you like. I will describe the route I took and mention the buildings of interest in the order that I came upon them. For more information on each building, click the appropriate link.

I started the tour at the Visitor Center, which itself is a historical building: the Old Bank Building from 1854.

Old Bank Building, now the park’s Visitor Center

As soon as you step out the front door of the Visitor Center you will see two other buildings of importance. Directly across the street is the Andrew Robeson House, the home of a wealthy whaling merchant that was built in 1821. It was actually moved to this location in the late 1970s. On the opposite corner is the U. S. Custom House, a Greek Revival-style government building that opened in 1834. This is where import taxes on goods arriving in New Bedford were paid.

The tour route continues west on William Street. However, before heading out, walk a short distance down North 2^nd Street—away from the Custom House and Robeson House—to the building directly behind the Visitor Center. This is the Benjamin Rodman House (built in 1821). Part of Rodman’s fortune was made in the spermaceti candle business. Spermaceti is a liquid found in the skull of the Sperm Whale that congeals into a waxy substance used to make candles that burn brighter than any other material. When done taking a look at the house, walk back to William Street and turn left.

The building on the fourth corner of the block is of no significance, but there is a nice mural on the backside that honors the 46 black men who joined New Bedford’s Morgan Guard. This later became Company C of the 54^th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first black military units put together by the Union during the Civil War.

Mural dedicated the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry

Continue down William Street until reaching Pleasant Street. Another Greek Revival building sits on the far left corner. Today it is the Public Library, but it was the New Bedford Town Hall when it opened in 1839. Outside is a memorial to war veterans and a sculpture of a whaleman who is about to throw a harpoon.

Take a left on Pleasant Street, a right on Union Street, and another left on County Street. If you have the County Street brochure, you can read about some of the mansions you will pass on the way to the next stop on the tour, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House. I was impressed with two mansions I saw, the Marcia Park House and the Gilbert Russell House. There are a number of other mansions along the side streets.

Gilbert Russell House

Marcia Park House

Continue down County Street until you reach Madison Street; the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum is on the corner. If touring the house, plan to send at least an hour. When done, continue east on Madison Street and take a left on the next street, 7^th Street. This leads back to Union Street. Turn right and walk all the way down to the wharf.

Just before the wharf, on the corner of Union and Water streets, is a building with a sundial on the exterior wall, appropriately named the Sundial Building. The empty lot next to it was the site of two buildings that were blown up in a 1977 gas explosion.

When you reach the wharf area, use the pedestrian walkway to cross JFK Memorial Highway and MacArthur Drive to reach State Pier. The official New Bedford Historic District Walking Tour heads north (left), but if you want to take in the Working Waterfront Dock Walking Tour in its entirety, head south to see Steamship Pier, Coal Pocket Pier, Merrill’s Wharf, and Leonard’s Wharf. The Waterfront Dock brochure has information about these stops. There are a few statues and monuments along the way, but the only historical building is the Bourne Counting House from 1847, the only remaining original building on the wharf.

Memorial to the men of the U. S. Lightship Service (dedicated in 1999)

The Schooner Ernestina can often be found docked at State Pier, though at the time of this writing it is being repaired at a dry dock located in Boothbay Harbor in Maine. Built in 1894, Ernestina is one of the oldest sailing ships in the United States.

The next pier north of State Pier is Fisherman’s Wharf. It is here that you will find the Wharfinger Building. It serves as a visitor center for the City of New Bedford. Inside are exhibits on the fishing business.

Continue north until reaching a pedestrian crossing area at Elm Street and make your way back over JKF and MacArthur Drive. The official tour route has you taking a left once crossing the highways and immediately turning right on Rodman Street. However, if you continue past Rodman for two blocks you’ll come to Centre Street, home of two more historical buildings that were restored by WHALE. On the south corner of Centre and Front streets is the McCullough Building from 1820, and if you walk halfway up Centre Street—it is a fairly steep hill—you’ll find the Gilbert Russell Warehouse, which was built in 1822.

If you take this route, just continue up Centre Street until reaching North Water Street and turn right. One street down are two more historical buildings, and this is where you would be if you turned on Rodman. The pink building is the Rodman Candleworks, the candle factory of Benjamin Rodman (it was founded by his father). On the left is the Double Bank Building, which got its name because it was once occupied by two banks. It is, however, two separate buildings, though this is not apparent upon first glance.

Take the street directly in front of the Double Bank Building and in one block you’ll be at Johnny Cake Hill. On the opposite right-hand corner is the Corson Building, a commercial building dating to the late 1800s.

The last three buildings of importance are reached by taking a left on Johnny Cake Hill. Nearly the entire block on your left is occupied by the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and a short way down the street is the Mariners’ Home and the Seamen’s Bethel. Originally a private residence at another location, the Mariners’ Home was donated to the New Bedford Port Society in 1851 and turned into a boarding house for sailors. The Seamen’s Bethel, made famous in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, was a non-denominational house of worship that catered to sailors. Both are now open to the public.

These are the last stops on the tour. Retrace your steps back to the Corson Building and take a left. The Visitor Center is next door.

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