UMass Dartmouth Art Gallery in New Bedford

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The UMass Dartmouth Art Gallery features contemporary student and professional art exhibitions throughout the year. It is located across the street from the Ocean Explorium. This gallery is the satellite venue for the College of Visual and Performing Arts, which has its main gallery on the Dartmouth campus.   

UMass Dartmouth Art Gallery

This walking tour includes several New Bedford landmarks and museums, including the New Bedford Historical Society, the New Bedford Art Museum, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum

New Bedford Massachusetts Walking Tour

The New Bedford Whaling Museum was
founded in 1903. &nbsp;It was established by
the children of the forerunners of the American whaling industry, who had a
vision to preserve the maritime tradition of their ancestors. The extensive
collections housed at the New Bedford Whaling Museum include: five whale
skeletons, the world’s largest ship model (Lagoda),
and America’s longest painting. The museum features many exhibits about whale
science and conservation and the history of whaling in New Bedford, as well as
whaling in the rest of the world.&nbsp; Recently,
maritime exhibits in the historic Mariners’ Home (1790) have been added to the
museum’s itinerary. 

The whale skeletons on display in
the museum where brought there after the animals died naturally or under
unknown circumstances, but they were not killed for the intention of studying
or showcasing them in the museum.&nbsp; Their
remains were gathered by the museum staff, cleaned and examined, and then
displayed after investigation.&nbsp; For
example, Kobo (King Of the Blue Ocean) was a massive, 66-foot juvenile male
blue whale that was killed when he was struck by a tanker off the coast of Nova
Scotia.&nbsp; His body was then struck by
another vessel, who unknowingly carried him into the waters off Rhode
Island.&nbsp; That is where he was transported
to a site where the local biologists could strip the flesh and prepare his body
for display in the museum.&nbsp; Kobo is one
of only 500 blue whale specimens who inhabited the north Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp; A photograph of his skeleton is shown above. 

The museum is open daily to
visitors from 9 AM to 5 PM, although the hours are shortened in the winter
months.&nbsp; Throughout the summer, guided
tours are offered daily at 11 AM. Special programming, including lectures and
family-friendly events, runs on a frequent schedule.&nbsp; There are several annual family events, such
as the Party for the Ocean and the Haunted Whale Ship at Halloween. Ticket
prices are $17.00 for adults and $7.00 for children (discounts are available
for college students and senior citizens. Memberships are also available, and
people who pay for memberships do not have to pay for a separate admission ticket
each time they enter the museum.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum preserves and celebrates the history of the whaling industry in the City of New Bedford, the country and the world. It houses the world's largest collection of whaling-related materials. These include the largest library of whaling books, prints and journals; the largest scrimshaw (decorative art made from ivory bones) collection; the largest collection of Japanese whaling art; the largest collection of marine paintings by Old Dutch Masters; and the largest scale model of a whaling ship built in 1916 called the Lagoda. The museum also features numerous other items (numbering about 750,000 in all) such as photographs, fine art, manuscripts, maps/books, and 19th and 20th century whaling technology. Other highlights include the complete whale skeletons, one of which is a Blue Whale. In addition to the collections, the museum also offers educational programming such as lectures and film screenings. 

New Bedford Whaling Museum

The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Plaza commemorates the contributions of the Civil War’s 54th and the 55th Regiments, the 5th Calvary and the Navy men of color from New Bedford.&nbsp; The site consists of a small park located at the corner of William Street and Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford, Massachusetts.&nbsp; At the entrance to the park, there is a water fountain and a four-columnned square archway.&nbsp; There are several signs which line the sidewalk leading to the plaza. They tell the story of the 54th Regiment.&nbsp; One of the plaques, detailing their historic battle at Fort Wagner, is pictured above.

The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was the first army regiment of Black men that was commissioned in the North, during the American Civil War.&nbsp; On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.&nbsp; In it, he declared that any Black man found suitable to serve, shall be allowed to enlist in the Union Army and Navy. Massachusetts’ abolitionist Governor, John A. Andrew, issued the first call for Black soldiers a month later.&nbsp; Free African-American men signed up to serve in the 54th Infantry Regiment from Massachusetts as well as neighboring states. There were some recruits from the Confederate states and even Canada as well.&nbsp;

The 54th Infantry Regiment was led by a white man, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Another memorial to Shaw and his brave regiment stands at the entrance to the Boston Common, across the street from the Massachusetts State House.&nbsp; On May 28, 1863, a group of 1,007 Black soldiers and 37 white officers left Boston bound for Charleston, South Carolina. First, they headed to James Island and were defeated, losing 45 men. Just a few short days later, they moved on to Fort Wagner where they suffered tremendous losses, including the death of its commander, Colonel Shaw.&nbsp;Sergeant William Carney is one of the few Black soldiers who approached the fame of Colonel Shaw. Carney was born a slave in Virginia but was freed after his father escaped to the North, then earned enough money to buy his family’s freedom and move them to New Bedford. Carney enlisted in the 54th Regiment when he was about 23 years old.&nbsp; At the siege of Fort Wagner, the unit’s flagbearer had been killed.&nbsp; Carney courageously grabbed the flag from the fallen man before it hit the ground and continue to carry it throughout the battle. He was shot several times. &nbsp;At the end of the siege, he declared to his fellow soldiers that their flag had never touched the ground!&nbsp; Carney became the first Black man to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism (although the medal wasn’t awarded to him until 1903).

Across the street from the Plaza, a beautiful mural was commissioned to adorn the side of a restaurant (Freestone’s Restaurant). The artist, a young man named Jared Bader of Philadelphia, was commissioned by the New Bedford Historical Society and the Whaling History Alliance to depict the contributions of Black men and women in New Bedford.&nbsp; It features the men of the 54th Regiment and the old recruiting station, as well as pictures of free Black men and women in&nbsp;New Bedford after the war.&nbsp;The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Plaza is also a site on the New Bedford Historical Society’s Black History Tour.

The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Plaza is a small memorial park situated on the site of the regiment’s former recruiting station in New Bedford. The 54th Infantry was the first regiment of African Americans recruited to serve the Union in the North. The unit is best-known for their valiant record in battle as depicted in the Hollywood movie Glory. The plaza was dedicated on February 12, 1999.  

The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Plaza

The Liberty Bell Plaque is also a
site on the New Bedford Historical Society’s Black History Trail. The bell was
first installed at Liberty Hall in the 1790s. One of the largest subscribers to
the bell’s financing campaign was a man named Aaron Childs.&nbsp; Childs was the only Black man listed as a
householder in New Bedford’s first federal census.&nbsp; 

The Fugitive Slave Act was passed
in September 1850.&nbsp; This was the second
Fugitive Slave Act – the first was passed in 1793 but met with such widespread
resistance that later act was passed years later to uphold and improve it. The
Act gave the U.S. Marshals authority to travel north in search of escaped
slaves.&nbsp; The slaves could legally be
apprehended and returned to their owners in the South. 

A group of local abolitionists
defied the law by ringing the “Liberty Bell” on top of Liberty Hall, at the
corner of Purchase and William Streets in New Bedford. They rang the bell to
warn any fugitive slaves that the marshals were descending on the area so that
they could hide. 

Liberty Hall was destroyed by
fire in November 1854. Several other nearby businesses also burned.&nbsp; The fire started in the hall because someone
had left a lamp burning overnight.&nbsp; The
heat of the fire melted the Liberty Bell.&nbsp;
A fragment of the bell was inserted into the bottom of the plaque that
visitors can see today. The rest of the melted object was reshaped into tiny
bells and sold as souvenirs. The hall was eventually rebuilt. 

The plaque, which is situated on
the corner of a commercial building now used as a bank, reads:

<blockquote>"On this site the former
meeting house of the First Congregational and Unitarian societies was erected -
1795-97

____

These buildings were converted
into Liberty Hall - 1839

____

Original Liberty Hall burned and
rebuilt - 1854

____

Merchant National Bank's second
bank building erected - 1893

____

This building erected 1914

____

News of the passage of the
Fugitive Slave Law was brought from Boston in 1851 by an express messenger who
rode all night and the bell from the old hall was wrung to give warning to
fugitive slaves that U.S. Marshals were coming.

The bell was melted in the fire
of 1854 and a fragment is inserted into this tablet.”</blockquote>

At the bottom of the plaque, the
piece of the melted bell is mounted to the center, surrounded by pictures of
bells with draping cords on either side of it. It is a stoic reminder of the
risks that the citizens of New Bedford took to guarantee the freedom of their
African-Americans friends.

The Liberty Bell Plaque marks the site of where New Bedford’s Liberty Bell used to ring, at the old Liberty Hall. The bell was used to warn fugitive slaves that U.S. Marshalls were on their way. The bell didn’t survive the fire that also destroyed the building in 1854. A piece of it was kept and inserted into the bottom of the plaque as a reminder of what the citizens of New Bedford did to resist the slave trade in America. 

Liberty Bell Plaque (New Bedford Black History Trail)

In 2014 the New Bedford Art Museum and ArtWorks! Partners for the Arts and Community merged to serve the community as one community arts center. The museum is located in a former bank and features changing art exhibitions throughout the year. Both historic and contemporary art exhibitions are presented. In addition to the artwork, the museum offers various educational programs for people of all ages.

New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!

The Frederick Douglass Monument
is a site on the New Bedford Historical Society’s Black History Trail. The tall
stone slab is situated on the front lawn of the New Bedford City Hall.&nbsp; A bronze plaque is set into the stone near
the top. Underneath an engraving of Frederick Douglass’s face and chest, the
plaque reads: 

<blockquote>FREDERICK DOUGLASS

1818-1895

'FOR MY PART, I SHOULD PREFER
DEATH

TO HOPELESS BONDAGE.'

NEW BEDFORD 1838-1841

DEDICATED OCTOBER 1996</blockquote>

The stone monument is dedicated
to the memory of Frederick Douglass, who was a pillar in the abolitionist
movement before and during the American Civil War.&nbsp; He was born in Maryland as a slave in 1818
and given the name Frederick Bailey. When he was twenty years old, he escaped
slavery and fled north via the Underground Railroad.&nbsp; Two New Bedford Quakers, named William C.
Taber and Joseph Ricketson, guided Douglass and his young wife Anna to the home
of Nathan and Polly Johnson (another historic site in New Bedford and now home
to the New Bedford Historical Society). &nbsp;The Douglass family stayed in the Johnson
house for about a year, until they were able to rent their own space on Elm
Street.&nbsp; Two of their children, Rosetta (1839)
and Lewis (1840), were born in New Bedford. 

It was during his time in New
Bedford where Frederick Bailey became the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Douglass
soon made a name for himself as a passionate advocate for human rights.&nbsp; He fought for abolitionism as well as equality
for women.&nbsp; He was such a renowned
speaker against the injustices of slavery because, unlike many of the other
prominent voices in the movement, he had actually lived as a slave and
experiences those injustices firsthand. 

In addition to speaking out
against slavery, he authored newspaper articles, other periodicals, and three
autobiographies about his life as a former slave and his escape from the
institution. He published the Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an
American Slave in 1845, followed by My
Bondage and My Freedom in 1855 and The
Life and Times of Frederick Douglass in 1881. These books are now considered
classics of American culture and provide a great understanding of this tumultuous
time in American history.

The monument was dedicated on
October 17, 1996. The dedication honored the 100th anniversary of
his death (1895). &nbsp;The City of New
Bedford and the New Bedford Chapter of the NAACP sponsored the memorial.

On the front lawn of the New Bedford City Hall, there is a stone slab memorial to one of the greatest leaders of the American abolitionist movement. Frederick Douglass was born a slave and escaped to freedom when he was twenty years old.  His route took him to New Bedford, Massachusetts.  Douglass stayed in New Bedford for several years before moving on to tackle the tough issues of abolitionism, women’s rights, and general equality of all Americans. 

Frederick Douglass Monument (New Bedford Black History Trail)

Lewis Temple was born in
Richmond, Virginia in 1800. By 1829, he had arrived in New Bedford,
Massachusetts. Temple had been born a slave over sixty years before the
American Civil War ended the trade. He was a free man once he made it to New
Bedford. Temple became an active member of the abolitionist movement in New
Bedford, perhaps due to his past experiences as a slave in the South. He was
one of the Black auxiliaries to the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and
served as Vice President of the New Bedford Union Society. 

Temple was a skilled Blacksmith
who is credited with inventing a new, better type of whaling harpoon. The
“Temple Toggle Iron” was first created in 1848. His design had a pivoted tip.
When the tip penetrated the whale’s body, it would twist and become embedded in
the blubber. This improved the whaling industry since previous harpoons simply pierced
the animal’s skin but could slip out while the whale struggled to regain its
freedom.&nbsp; 

Lewis Temple died in 1854, a few
weeks after an accidental fall. He was walking by the construction site of his
new shop and slipped from a plank that was held over an open sewer trench.&nbsp; He sued the city and won $2,000, but did not
live long enough to see any of it. After his death, the money was used to pay
off various business debts. Unfortunately, his family was left with very
little.

A monument to Temple’s memory was
commissioned by the City of New Bedford in 1985. A local African-American
sculptor, Jim Toatley, started work on the project but he died after completing
only a small model of the memorial. His design was mechanically enlarged to show
a six-foot tall figure. Temple is dressed in an apron, examining the end of one
of the harpoons he has been producing. The likeness used as a model for Temple’s
statue is actually his son, Lewis Temple, Jr. Lewis Temple lived in an era when
photography was reserved primarily for the wealthy elite. Therefore, no picture
of him was available when the monument was planned. The Lewis Temple Memorial
was dedicated before the Free Public Library in New Bedford, Massachusetts on
July 5, 1987.

There is a plaque on the
pedestal, below Temple’s standing figure, which reads: ““Lewis Temple /
Blacksmith / Inventor of the iron toggle harpoon tip / Born in Richmond,
Virginia, in 1800, Lewis Temple established himself as a Blacksmith on the New
Bedford Waterfront by 1836 / Temple manufactured his first toggle-iron in 1848.
It’s fastening power revolutionized the catching of whales. The invention was
never patented, therefore his only royalty was the name that clung to it / He
died in New Bedford in 1854. Millions were made in the whaling industry because
of Temple’s toggle. After business debts were cleared, there was no legacy left
for his family.”

A monument to a local innovator named Lewis Temple was erected on the front lawn of the New Bedford Public Library in 1987. Temple was a former slave who became a free man and a skilled Blacksmith.  He invented a toggle harpoon used by the local whalers. His design was a massive contribution to the whaling industry. The monument shows Temple standing and examining the end of his harpoon. 

Lewis Temple Monument

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The Johnson House is actually two houses that were joined together in the 1850. &nbsp;It was the home of Nathan and Mary (Polly)
Johnson, a free African-American couple.&nbsp;
They also operated a very successful catering and confectionery business
out of their house. In their candy shop, they sold items made with “free labor
sugar,” meaning that the sugar was harvested by free labor, not slaves.&nbsp; 

Perhaps
the home is better known as a stop on the Underground Railroad.&nbsp; Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were active
abolitionists who helped escaped slaves journey north to freedom.&nbsp; Frederick Douglass was the most famous of the
individuals they had sheltered. This house is the last surviving dwelling where
Frederick Douglass resided during his seven years (1838-1845) in New
Bedford.&nbsp; 

Mr.
Nathan Johnson was a wealthy man and an avid supporter of the abolitionist
movement.&nbsp; He was a delegate from New
Bedford to several conventions that worked to free the slaves, including the
1832 and 1833 annual conventions of people of color in Philadelphia and the
1834 convention in New York.&nbsp; At the 1835
convention, Johnson was named a vice president of the group. In 1839, he was
appointed as one of three colored men from Bristol County to visit the
legislature and discuss the antislavery views of men in the area.&nbsp; Johnson was elected president of the 1847
National Convention of Colored People, held at Troy, New York.

Johnson
first became involved with the fugitive slaves when he witnessed the trial of
John Randolph, who had escaped to New Bedford in 1817 or 1818.&nbsp; An agent of Randolph’s former owner came to
the city to retrieve him in 1822.&nbsp;
Fifteen years later, the Johnson household took in one of the most
famous fugitives slaves in the nation.&nbsp; New
Bedford Quakers William C. Taber and Joseph Ricketson brought Frederick
Douglass and his wife Anna to Nathan and Polly Johnson’s house in September of
that year.&nbsp; The Douglass family stayed in
the home for about a year, until they were able to rent their own space on Elm
Street.&nbsp; &nbsp;

A
century and a half later, then home was facing demolition.&nbsp; The property was saved by the members of the
New Bedford Historical Society, which had formed in 1996. Its collections
focus primarily on the contributions of African Americans, Cape Verdeans,
Native Americans, West Indians, and other people of color in New Bedford,
Massachusetts and the city’s rich, cultural heritage. New Bedford attracted
escaping slaves because it was a very prosperous city (the whaling industry was
a huge part of the city’s economy) and it was home to many Quakers, including
the Johnsons, who were abolitionists. Soon after the group was formed, it
learned that the historic Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson House was scheduled for
demolition. It worked diligently to save the building by purchasing it for
themselves, with the goal of preserving it for future generations, so that they
may learn about the great importance it played in helping many escaped slaves
reach freedom. Presently, the home serves as the headquarters of the New
Bedford Historical Society.&nbsp; The society
has renovated the main floor of the house to make is available for community
meetings and educational presentations. Further
efforts to renovate and restore the house are ongoing. 

The New Bedford Historical Society
and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park have worked together to create
a walking tour of various sites significant to the history of the Underground
Railroad in the city.&nbsp; The Johnson House
is a featured stop on the tour. &nbsp;&nbsp;





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The Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson House, located at 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is a significant building in the history of the city as well as the headquarters of the New Bedford Historical Society. The historical society celebrates the efforts of the Johnsons, the legacy of the abolitionist movement, and the history of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Native Americans, West Indians and other people of color in New Bedford.  The home was once owned by a free African-American couple who lived there and operated a successful catering and confectionery business.  They also harbored escaped slaves as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The New Bedford Historical Society purchased the home in 1998. Two years later, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.    

Johnson House and New Bedford Historical Society

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The Rotch-Jones-Duff House was
constructed for a successful whaling merchant, William Rotch, Jr., and his
family in 1834. &nbsp;The house was designed
by architect Richard Upjohn. Upjohn was the founder and first president of the American
Institute of Architects. The architectural style of the home is described as “Greek
Revival.” The one-acre property is situated on an entire city block. It
includes the home and a boxwood parterre rose garden, a boxwood specimen
garden, a woodland garden, and a cutting garden.&nbsp; 

The mansion was home to three
prominent New Bedford families over a 150-year period. &nbsp;William Rotch Jr., 1834 to 1850; Edward Coffin
Jones, 1851 – 1935; and Mark M. Duff, 1935 – 1981. Each of the families were involved
in civic and philanthropic activities within New Bedford, and had earned their
fortunes from the significant whaling industry that had centered in the
City.&nbsp; After the whaling industry declined,
textiles became a commercial interest of the most prominent families in the
city.&nbsp; All three families maintained
landscaped gardens, which are still preserved today. 

In the classic whaling novel, Moby Dick, Herman Melville described the
“brave houses and flowery gardens” of the nearby homes. This is reminiscent of
the Rotch-Jones-Duff House, which was built for a whaling merchant at a time
when the whaling industry was at its peak, and in the most significant whaling
community in the country. However, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House had several
features that were very different from other houses being built in New Bedford at
the same time. Rather than a two-story front porch, it had only a single-story
porch on the ground floor.&nbsp; Also, other
houses in the area were being constructed with five bays at the front façade,
whereas the Rotch-Jones-Duff house was built with only three bays. 

The Rotch-Jones-Duff house is the
only mansion in New England that has been restored as a historic house museum. In
1981, the property was saved from possible destruction and commercial
development when it was purchased by the Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE
(WHALE). Two years later, the home and its gardens were opened as a museum
dedicated to preserving the its history and importance to the City of New
Bedford. The grounds and outbuildings are set in their original configuration from
the mid-nineteenth century. Today, the home is considered a national
historic landmark. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Visitors can be treated to a variety of programs and exhibits. Educational
programs are offered to more than 2,000 students each year. In addition to the educational
opportunities available at the historic home, the house and its grounds can be
rented for weddings and other events. The house is also shown as part of the National Park Service's "Behind the Mansions" Tour. 



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The Rotch-Jones-Duff House is one of the finest Greek Revival homes in the country and is considered a national historic landmark. It was built in 1834 for whaling agent William Rotch, Jr. and designed by architect Richard Upjohn, one of the best architects at the time. The house, which belongs to the County Street Historic District and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was owned by two other families: the Jones family and the Duff family. All three families were prominent in the whaling industry as well as active participants in the community. The Duff family owned the home until 1981 when the Waterfront Historic Area League purchased it. It opened a year later as a museum featuring period items and furniture owned by the three families. The museum also features exhibits about the whaling industry and about the environment. Many educational programs are offered as well.

New Bedford Massachusetts Walking Tour

UMass Dartmouth Art Gallery

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