Venerable tour guide Bruce Barnes brings to life eight notable New Bedford historic VIP personalities thorough the places they lived and worked. Through Bruce’s vivid explanations combined with historic maps, pictures and illustrations, explore the history - whaling, textiles, religion, abolition, even the poetry of this fascinating and important New England city.
nbpreservationsociety.org/
Abraham Russell, who’s mansion stood at the corner of County and Union streets, was a second member generation of the family who originally settled and laid-out what would become downtown New Bedford. The Russells were an entrepreneurial family who made the bulk of their fortune selling building lots to whalers that were moving to New Bedford from Nantucket. Abraham Russell lost the bulk of his assets around 1815 but kept the mansion until his death in 1837.
Elizabeth Rotch Rodman, whose legacy is discussed at the 1822 Friend’s Meeting House on Spring Street, was one of the most powerful and influential women in New Bedford. Elizabeth was born into New Bedford royalty as the daughter of William Rotch Senior, and the sister of William Rotch, Junior, the most powerful whalers in New England. Her nine children became some of the most influential in the history of the city. A prominent Quaker, Elizabeth was a leader of the famous split from the church in the early 1820s.
Joseph Wing, who lived at 27 South Sixth Street, was a prominent whaler who along with his brothers owned one of the largest whaling fleets in the United States. The Wings started as dry goods merchants and made enough money to get into whaling, purchasing their first ship around 1850. Joseph lived in this house until his death in 1895.
George Howland, Junior built the house at 37 South Sixth Street in 1834. Born into whaling royalty, George and his brother Matthew took over the business in 1840 and were successful whalers until a series of ship losses in the artic bankrupted the family. A former mayor and beloved figure in New Bedford, George was forced to sell his property and died penniless.
Frederick Shirley. In the 1870 and 80s, New Bedford was known as the art glass capitol of the country. Based around the Mount Washington Glass Works, later the Pairpoint Glass Manufacturing Company. art glass production continued to be important in New Bedford until the 1950s (for more information see www.cmog.org/article/mt-washi.... Frederick Shirley joined the company in 1871 and was the early leader and genius behind the Glass Works until he left in 1891. Shirley owned a total of 27 patents and five design patents for various types of glass.
Walter Langshaw lived in the William Rotch Rodman House starting about 1919, and it remained in his family until after his death in 1947. Langshaw was the manager of the Dartmouth Mill, which was organized in 1895 one of New Bedford’s most successful mills in the early 1900s. Langshaw was outspoken and a maverick. He famously and visibly bucked the control of the powerful New Bedford Manufacturer’s Association during the devastating Textile Workers Strike of 1928.
Julia Delano, a cousin of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president, lived in a mansion at the corner of Hawthorn and Grove street. Julia’s father purchased the house in 1845 and Julia lived there until her death in 1936. Delano rescued her relative Conrad Aiken after the murder-suicide of his parents in Savannah, Ga and moved him to New Bedford. Aiken was a famous poet and a Pulitzer winner as well as the U.S. Poet Laureate from 1950-1952.