Merrill's Wharf Historic District

Last updated

Merrill's Wharf Historic District
NewBedfordMA MerrillsWharfHD CountingHouse.jpg
The former counting house at the foot of Merrill's Wharf
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location New Bedford, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°37′59″N70°55′15″W / 41.63306°N 70.92083°W / 41.63306; -70.92083
Built1837
ArchitectEdward Merrill
NRHP reference No. 77000167 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 11, 1977

The Merrill's Wharf Historic District is a historic district encompassing a portion of the waterfront area of New Bedford, Massachusetts. It encompasses two wharves just to the south of State Pier: the Steamboat Pier and the adjacent Coal Packet Pier. Also included is the stone counting house (also known as the Durant Sail Loft) built by Edward Merrill, the last surviving stone waterfront structure from New Bedford's heyday as a whaling center. (It does not include the long pier built by Merrill that is now called Homer's Wharf, which no longer retains historic integrity.) [2]

The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. [1] It is now part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, with interpretive signs. The schooner Ernestina , a National Historic Landmark ship owned by the state, is berthed at Steamship Wharf.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American people. 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 English Quakers in the late 17th century. The town of New Bedford itself was officially incorporated in 1787.

<i>Charles W. Morgan</i> (ship) American whaling ship built in 1841

Charles W. Morgan is an American whaling ship built in 1841 that was active during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships of this type were used to harvest the blubber of whales for whale oil which was commonly used in lamps. Charles W. Morgan has served as a museum ship since the 1940s and is now an exhibit at the Mystic Seaport museum in Mystic, Connecticut. She is the world's oldest surviving (non-wrecked) merchant vessel, the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet, and second to the USS Constitution, the oldest seaworthy vessel in the world. The Morgan was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park</span> US National Historical Park in Massachusetts

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). The park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent whaling port during the nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of San Francisco</span> Organization that oversees port facilities in San Francisco, California, United States

The Port of San Francisco is a semi-independent organization that oversees the port facilities at San Francisco, California, United States. It is run by a five-member commission, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Supervisors. The Port is responsible for managing the larger waterfront area that extends from the anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge, along the Marina district, all the way around the north and east shores of the city of San Francisco including Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero, and southward to the city line just beyond Candlestick Point. In 1968 the State of California, via the California State Lands Commission for the State-operated San Francisco Port Authority, transferred its responsibilities for the Harbor of San Francisco waterfront to the City and County of San Francisco / San Francisco Harbor Commission through the Burton Act AB2649. All eligible State port authority employees had the option to become employees of the City and County of San Francisco to maintain consistent operation of the Port of San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquatic Park Historic District</span> Historic district in California, United States

Aquatic Park Historic District is a National Historic Landmark and building complex on the San Francisco Bay waterfront within San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Wharf (Boston)</span> United States historic place

Long Wharf is a historic American pier in Boston, Massachusetts, built between 1710 and 1721. It once extended from State Street nearly a half-mile into Boston Harbor; today, the much-shortened wharf functions as a dock for passenger ferries and sightseeing boats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Port of Portland, Maine</span> Historic district in the U.S.

The Old Port is a district of Portland, Maine, known for its cobblestone streets, 19th-century brick buildings and fishing piers. The district contains boutiques, restaurants and bars. Because of its reputation for nightlife, the Old Port is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nantucket Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Nantucket Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District that encompasses the entire island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The original December 13, 1966 listing on the National Register of Historic Places included only the historic downtown core and the village of Siasconset, but was expanded in 1975 to include the entire island, as well as the islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget. At over 30,000 acres, it is the largest conventional historic National Historic Landmark District by area in the contiguous United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotch–Jones–Duff House and Garden Museum</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

The William Rotch Jr. House, now the Rotch–Jones–Duff House and Garden Museum, is a National Historic Landmark at 396 County Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in the United States. The three families whose names are attached to it were all closely tied to the city's nineteenth-century dominance of the whaling industry. Because of this, the house is part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The New Bedford Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, west of the community's waterfront. During the 19th century, when the city was the center of the American whaling industry, this was its downtown. After its decline in the early and mid-20th century, through the efforts of local activist groups the district has since been preserved and restored to appear much as it was during that period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Chop Club Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The West Chop Club Historic District is a historic district in Tisbury, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The district represents a well-preserved planned summer resort community of the late 19th century. Located in and around Iroquois Avenue, the district encompasses the northernmost portion of West Chop, a peninsula that separates Vineyard Sound and the sheltered waters of Vineyard Haven Harbor, an area that was developed by the West Chop Land Company in the 1880s. The land is now owned by the West Chop Land Trust and managed by the private West Chop Club. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Third District Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Old Third District Courthouse in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, is located at the corner of Second and William streets. It was built in 1853 by Russell Warren in the Greek Revival architectural style, as the home of the New Bedford Institute for Savings, a local bank. After the bank moved, the Bristol County courts came in. They, too, eventually outgrew it and moved elsewhere in the city. Since the creation of New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park in 1996, it has been used by the National Park Service (NPS) as the park's visitor center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bedford Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The North Bedford Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Summer, Parker, Pleasant and Kempton Streets in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It encompasses a predominantly residential neighborhood north of downtown New Bedford which was developed primarily in the mid 19th-century. It features a variety of worker housing of the period, as well as a number of higher quality houses built by businessmen. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Bedford Gas and Edison Light Complex</span> United States historic place

The New Bedford Gas and Edison Light Complex is a historic district at 180 MacArthur Drive in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It consists of two buildings: a power generation facility that served the New Bedford area for most of the 20th century, and a historic 19th century iron foundry building. Both are on a property once owned by NSTAR, the local electric utility, on the New Bedford waterfront. The foundry building is a utilitarian three story structure built out of granite, which was built in 1856 for the Taber & Grinnell Iron Foundry. The Cannon Power Station, in contrast, is a looming presence on the waterfront, about 390 feet (120 m) long and more than 80 feet (24 m) in height. Its initial construction was in 1916, and it was repeatedly enlarged until 1950. It was built by the New Bedford Gas & Electric Light District, and generated power for the city until 1992. In 2002 it was under consideration for use as an aquarium; but these plans failed. The complex was vacant in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central New Bedford Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Central New Bedford Historic District is one of nine historic districts in New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States. The district encompasses the city's central business district, built up during the time in the late 19th century when textiles had replaced whaling as the city's main industry. It is a 29-acre (12 ha) rectangular area bounded by Acushnet Avenue and the older New Bedford Historic District on the east, School Street to the south, Middle Street on the north and 6th Street in the west. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterfront Historic Area League</span> Non-profit historic preservation organization

The Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE, also known as WHALE, is a non-profit historic preservation organization located in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Its mission is: "to promote the value and reuse of greater New Bedford's historic structures through preservation, education and advocacy". The organization often promotes its cause with the words of one of its founders, Sarah Delano. Delano said, "if you bulldoze your heritage, you become just anywhere".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Customhouse (New Bedford, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The United States Customhouse is a historic and active custom house at 2nd and William Streets in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Architect Robert Mills designed the custom house in 1834 in a Greek Revival style. It has been used by the U.S. Customs Service ever since, and today serves as a port of entry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head of the River Historic District</span> Historic district in Massachusetts, United States

The Head of the River Historic District is a historic district encompassing a village area at the head of navigation of the Acushnet River, which separates Acushnet and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The village is centered at the junction of Tarkin Hill Road, River Road, and Mill Road in New Bedford, and Main Street in Acushnet. The area went through two significant periods of development: the first was in the late 18th and early 19th century, and the second was in the early 20th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Fish Pier</span> United States historic place

The Boston Fish Pier is the central site for the fishing industry based in Boston, Massachusetts. Located on Northern Avenue in South Boston in Boston's Inner Harbor, the pier has played this role since its establishment in 1910. In the 1920s, it was home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the eastern United States, processing 250 million pounds of fish. The pier and its associated buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

The Port of New Bedford is a deepwater port located at at the mouth of the Acushnet River on Buzzards Bay, with access to the Atlantic Ocean. It is in the harbor estuary on the southern coast of Massachusetts in New Bedford, Fairhaven and Acushnet.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Merrill's Wharf Historic District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved June 17, 2014.