Benjamin Rodman House
Location: 50 North 2nd Street
The Benjamin Rodman House in the historic district of New Bedford was built in 1821. Benjamin was the son of Samuel Rodman, founder of the Rodman Candleworks, a very successful candle factory that produced bright burning spermaceti candles. Spermaceti is a liquid found in massive quantities inside the skull of a Sperm Whale, and along with the oil extracted from the blubber, a very valuable commodity at the time. Rodman also founded a bank, so he had various sources of income.
By the 1890s the entire block was comprised of retail buildings, and the house eventually became part of a department store warehouse. In the 1960s it was purchased by Catherine Bullard and donated to the Waterfront Historic Area League. The adjacent structures were eventually demolished and the house was restored in 1978. It is the only waterfront mansion that is still in its original location, for many historical homes had to be moved to make way for a highway and other urban renewal projects.
Today the Rodman House is used for office space and is not open to the public.
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Last updated on June 11, 2020
