National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
The First Decade:E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A ™
A Retrospective 1996-2006
Scene from Benjamin Russell and Caleb Purrington’sPanorama: Whaling Voyage Round the World, 1848
Courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum
What it Means to be a National Park A National Park Comes toNew Bedford
...to conserve thescenery and the naturaland historic objects andthe wild life therein andto provide for theenjoyment of the samein such manner and bysuch means as willleave them unimpairedfor the enjoyment offuture generations.
National Park ServiceOrganic Act, 1916
In order to preserve forthe benefit andinspiration of the peopleof the United States as anational historicalpark, certain districts,structures, and relicslocated in New Bedford,Massachusetts, andassociated with thehistory of whaling andrelated social andeconomic themes inAmerica, there isestablished the NewBedford WhalingNational HistoricalPark.
Public Law 104-333November 12, 1996
Currently, there are 390units in the NationalPark System.Experiences in nationalparks refresh ourminds and rechargeour spirits.
Parks like Yellowstone,Yosemite, and GrandCanyon showcase noteworthy natural systemsand scenic splendor while places such as theStatue of Liberty, Independence Hall, andBoston National Historical Park representpeople and events that helped shape thiscountry’s history and character.
If the story of whaling...is to bepreserved and presented anywhere,New Bedford is the logical and mostsuitable location to do so.
Congress established New Bedford WhalingNational Historical Park in 1996 tocommemorate the American whaling industryand its contribution to our nation’s history.During the 19th century, New Bedford was thewhaling capital of the world. Today, that historyis reflected in the city’s historical architectureand the outstanding museum collections andarchival materials preserved here by the Park’spartner institutions.
Special Resource Study forNew Bedford, Massachusetts
National Park Service, 1992
The National Park Service cares forspecial places saved by the Americanpeople so that all may experience ourheritage.
Fishing boats in NewBedford harbor
Park visitor center
Boston NationalHistorical Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Statue of LibertyNational Monument
Independence NationalHistorical Park
A Park in Partnership
The town itself isperhaps the dearestplace to live in, in allNewEngland...nowherein all America will youfind more patrician-like houses; parks andgardens more opulent,than in New Bedford...all these brave housesand flowery gardenscame from the Atlantic,Pacific, and Indianoceans. One and allthey were dragged uphither from the bottomof the sea.
Herman Melville,Moby-Dick, 1850
New Bedford Whaling NationalHistorical Park helps to preserve,protect, and interpret certain districts,structures, and artifacts located in NewBedford, Massachusetts, that areassociated with the history of whalingand related social, economic, andenvironmental themes for the benefit andinspiration of this and futuregenerations. These efforts will beundertaken in partnership with the cityof New Bedford, local and regionalinstitutions, and the Inupiat HeritageCenter in Barrow, Alaska.
November 12, 1996 New Bedford WhalingNational Historical Park established byCongress
1996-97
Park Mission Statement
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Parkrepresents a new model in the National ParkService: preservation and education areachieved, not through federal ownership, butthrough partnerships. Together, park partnerspreserve New Bedford’s historic landscapes,structures, and collections and promoteresearch and educational programmingassociated with the history of whaling.The park interprets the global reach ofNew Bedford’s whaling trades throughpartnerships in regions visited by thecity’s whaling fleet.
Locally, the park functions as a source ofcommunity identity and pride and fosters aclimate in which community initiatives andcollaborations are encouraged. The projectshighlighted in this commemorative publicationexemplify these partnerships andcontribute to visitors’ appreciation andunderstanding of the 19th centurywhaling industry and its place inAmerican history.
National Park Service DirectorMary Bomar (middle) andNortheast Regional DeputyDirector Chrysandra Walterwith park staff and parkExecutive Committeemembers, 2006
Ieupiat Heritage Center inBarrow, Alaska
Schooner Ernestina
Park Timeline: The First Decade September 9, 1997 A devastating fire rips through theCorson Building adjacent to the park visitor center
Public scoping meetings and visioning workshopstake place as work begins on the Park’s GeneralManagement Plan
The first uniformed staffmembers arrive at the park on a
temporary assignment fromLowell National Historical Park
Preserving New Bedford’s Heritage
Through partnerships with local,regional, and national institutions,organizations, and communities, NewBedford Whaling National HistoricalPark supports the preservation of thehistoric landscapes, structures, andmuseum and archival collections in NewBedford that are associated with thehistory of whaling.
New Bedford is aliving, active, workingcommunity which hasbeen preserved withpride. It is not areconstructed townbuilt to replicate thepast. New Bedford’sbuildings, commercialcenter, industries,waterfront, andstreetscapes testify to avigorous and excitingpast.
Anne Brengle,President, New
Bedford WhalingMuseum
testimony beforeSenate subcommittee
on Parks, HistoricPreservation andRecreation, 1995
Established in 1972 by the city of NewBedford, the Commission ensures thatpreservation methods for historicstructures and proposals for new con-struction are consistent with federal,state, and local guidelines andregulations. In 2001, the city ordinancewas amended to allow for the NationalPark Service to have a permanent seaton the Commission.
Since 2000, the park’s Historical Architecthas provided professional staffing andadministrative support for theCommission’s daily responsibilities on awide range of projects. The park has alsoworked in partnership with the city tomaintain and properly house Commissionarchives, produce design guidelines,create a website, develop a newsletter,and provide training opportunities forCommission members.
1998-99
The rehabilitation of the“Old Bank Building” into thepark’s visitor center wascompleted in 2003. Thecomprehensive preservationand accessibility projectincluded stabilization andrestoration of thebrownstone façade.
The historic paving materials of the park’s streetsand sidewalks require a skilled hand whenrepairs are needed. While the park providesresources to secure the proper materials for thiswork, it is the city’s public works masons whoare the craftsmen. Other examples of thispartnership effort include the installation ofappropriate wooden fences, replica street signs,and copper street lights.
The New Bedford Whaling Museumcontinued the preservation of thehistoric structures that comprise theircomplex with the exterior restoration ofthe Bourne Building. The new copperroof and lighting of the cupola wascause for celebration in the summer of2006. This project demonstrates thecommitment of partners to historicpreservation in the park.
Bolstered by the city’scommercial facade program,2000 was the peak year forpreservation activity in thepark with 44 of the 70historic structures (mostlyprivately owned) havingimprovement andexpansion projectsunderway.
Park Mission Goal
May 17, 1998 Regional Director Marie Rust attendsdedication ceremony for the Park
John Piltzecker is named first Superintendent
City of New Bedford visitor center volunteers joinNPS Volunteers-in-Parks program
February 12, 1999 54th Regiment Massachusetts VolunteerInfantry Plaza at Custom House Square is dedicated.
The New Bedford Historical Society and the parkco-sponsor The Gathering, an Underground Railroadconference
The NPS Olmstead Center forLandscape Preservation receives
an award for outstandingresearch for Safely Moored at
Last, the cultural landscapereport for the park
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Interpreting our Shared History
New Bedford Whaling NationalHistorical Park collaborates with a widerange of institutions within the city ofNew Bedford and beyond to promote thedelivery of high-quality, comprehensive,interpretive, cultural, and educationalprogramming to the general public.
2000-01
Park Mission Goal
The New BedfordHistorical Society wasestablished at the sametime as the Park andthus began ourpartnership. Throughour collaboration, themany untold stories ofAfrican-Americans,Cape Verdeans, WestIndians, AmericanIndians and otherpeople of color havebecome a vital part ofthe narrative of NewBedford..
Joan Beaubian,President,
New BedfordHistorical Society
Interpretive Services
Over the past 10 years, the park has collaborated with partners to developand offer the public an accessible visitor center for park orientation, indoorexhibits, an orientation film, outdoor interpretive and wayfinding panels,maps and brochures, guided and self-guided walking tours, youth andeducational programming, and public programs that showcase the culturalheritage of our vibrant community. These projects highlight some of theways the park and its partners interpret New Bedford’s shared whaling andmaritime history.
The City that Lit the World isthe park’s officialorientation film and is theresult of a collaborativeeffort by the park’s partners.
Park volunteers andrangers offer guidedwalking tours of the parkin July and August.
Portraits of a Port is one ofseveral teacher institutesdeveloped by the park andits partners.
Middle school students testwater samples while sailingonboard Schooner Ernestina.The National HistoricLandmark schooner, built in1894, is the park’s link to thesea.
New Bedford’sUnderground Railroadhistory is one story thatcomes to light throughthe park’s partnershipwith the New BedfordHistorical Society.
Park’s Volunteer Councilis established
May 22, 2000 WHALEdonates “Old Bank Building”for use as Park visitor center
July 7-9, 2000 Opening ceremony for the Jacobs Family Galleryin the New Bedford Whaling Museum
September 17, 2000 NPS Director RobertStanton is the keynote speaker at thededication of the Nathan and Mary (Polly)Johnson Properties as a National HistoricLandmark
The city, the park, and local cultural institutionscelebrate the 150th anniversary of the publicationof Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick
Junior Rangerprogram launched
Park General Management Planis completed
The NPS Northeast Museum Services Centercompletes the park’s Collection Management Plan
and re-houses the New Bedford HistoricalCommission and Park archives
In 2000, the New Bedford Whaling Museum completed itsten million dollar expansion and restoration adding galleries andupgrading the theater for educational and publicprogramming in the park.
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Global Reach
At New Bedford Whaling NationalHistorical Park visitors understand theglobal dimensions of the city’s whalingindustry and maritime trades (past,present, and future), including their social,economic, and environmental history, thediversity of cultures associated with theindustry, and its relationship to arcticexploration and Native Alaskan cultures.
In pursuit of whales,New Bedford’s fleettraveled the world’soceans and broughtlarge numbers ofAmericans into contactwith other cultures,including the NativePeople of northernAlaska.
Park InterpretiveTheme
2002-03
Park Mission Goal
The park works with a network of local,federal, state, and municipal partners topreserve and interpret America’s 19th
century whaling industry. The park alsohas ongoing relationships with partnersin distant ports to assist with theinterpretation of the global dimensions ofthe industry. Some of the projectscompleted by the park and its globalpartners are highlighted here.
In addition to these projects, the parkhas collaborated with its distant partnerson the development of interpretiveexhibits and publications, the park’sorientation film, and several culturalexchanges.
Distant Partners
Park partners participated in the International Azorean WhaleboatRegatta in both New Bedford and the Azores.
Norwegian fisherman Tor Bendiksen demonstratesnet mending to a young visitor.
The blanket toss at Nalukataq festivalin Barrow, Alaska
May 9, 2002 Premiere of park’s orientationmovie, The City that Lit the World
Park staff and partners travel to the Azores for the firstof several visits that are part of a USDA sponsoredprogram to foster educational and cultural ties
$500,000 in planning funds appropriated byCongress for the rehabilitation of the CorsonBuilding into the park’s education and public
programming facility
Park’s WebRanger online kid’sactivity launched
The rehabilitation of the “Old Bank Building”into the park’s visitor center is completed
Accumulation of Knowledge Navigating the Park
The park contributes to theaccumulation of knowledge andunderstanding of historic resourcesrelated to the social, economic, andenvironmental history of whaling andtheir associated themes, and fosters thestewardship of these resources througha network of private and publicpartners.
In 1830 forty feet wasestablished as the legalwidth for town streets.The standard width,later found to prohibitaesthetic improvementand additionalcommercialdevelopment, was nodoubt a practicalmeasure to facilitateexpansion. Ironically,this standard preservedthe town’s earlyutilitarian streetscapesas the port soared tothe apex of the whalingindustry. Convertedwooden residentialstructures continued toline the narrow streets,giving the waterfrontdistrict the air of abustling maritimevillage.
Safely Moored at Last:Cultural Landscape
Report for NewBedford Whaling
National HistoricalPark, 1998
Visitor pathways to destinations withinthe city are safe and easy to navigate.Virtual pathways guide visitors to well-designed and developed destinations onthe Internet that are easy to find and use.
The Faces of Whalingoral history projectdocumented theexperiences, artifactsand family stories offormer whalemen andtheir descendantsduring the final yearsof the whaling era inNew Bedford,Massachusetts (c. 1900– 1924). The projectplaced specialemphasis on theexperiences ofwhalemen from theAzorean, CapeVerdean, West Indian,African-American andNative Americancommunities.
2004-05
Executive SummaryFaces of Whaling
project report, 1999
Faces of Whaling oral history projectPlaces of Whaling oral history projectSafely Moored At Last Cultural Landscape ReportCape Verdean Genealogy WorkshopRotch-Jones-Duff (RJD) House and Garden Museum Historic Furnishings ReportFugitive Slave Traffic and the Maritime World of NewBedford research studyVisitor Center Historic Structures ReportNational Historic Landmark nominations for the Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson and RJD HousesBehind the Mansions research study
Highlighted Research Projects
Park Mission Goal
Park Mission Goal
April 5, 2004 WHALEdonates the CorsonBuilding to the park
May 25, 2004 City and the park cut ribbon on a newworking waterfront exhibit located in the historicWharfinger Building and new wayside andwayfinder panels
Congress appropriates $2.5 milliontoward construction for CorsonBuilding rehabilitation project
Discovering New Bedford’sUnderground Railroad History
interpretive program isaccepted to the NPS National
Network to Freedom Program
Celeste Bernardo is named Superintendent
Congress appropriates $3 million toward constructionfor Corson Building rehabilitation project
Park Executive Committeeof partner representatives
is established
Corson Building finaldesign as the park’s
education and publicprogramming facility is
completed
Rotch-Jones-Duff House andGarden Museum is named aNational Historic Landmark
Left: Antonio Lopes, the last surviving NewBedford whaleman, during an interview forthe Faces of Whaling oral history project
In addition to physicalimprovements, getting to the parkhas also been made easier forvisitors. New highway signs wereinstalled and a TravelerInformation System radio stationwas set up to provide visitors withthe latest information regardingpark and partner site information,park programs, and special events.
The park’s website has also takengreat strides over the past tenyears. The park’s main page haslinks to past issues of the ToggleIron newsletter, interpretivebrochures, site bulletins, andresearch and planningpublications. The WebRangeronline activity was introduced as away for young people toexperience park offerings online.In 2006, as part of a service-wideeffort, the park’s website wasredesigned to provide a morecohesive and user-friendlyexperience.
The visitor experiencehas been enhancedwith the completion ofsignificant projectsdone in partnershipwith the city of NewBedford. These projectsinclude: reconstructionof bluestone cross-walks, installation ofreproduction copperstreetlights, and thedevelopment of anetwork of wayfindersigns that guide visitorsto partner sites.
Community Pride
The National Park Service recognizesthat New Bedford Whaling NationalHistorical Park is a source ofcommunity identity and pride and thatpositive, local participation in supportof the park will yield success. NewBedford Whaling National HistoricalPark fosters a climate in whichcommunity initiatives andcollaborations are encouraged.
New Bedford todayreflects its heritage asthe 19th centurywhaling capital of theworld. Many of thecommunities thatparticipated in thewhaling industrycontinue to contributeto the cultural fabric ofthe city. The descen-dents of those who firstcame to New Bedfordaboard localwhaleships developedthriving communities,which have grown tobecome a majorcultural and politicalforce in the region.
Park InterpretiveTheme
2006
Park Mission Goal
Since 2005, Citizens Schools, in partnership with the NewBedford Public Schools, has introduced dozens of youngpeople to park resources through its after-schoolapprenticeship program. Participants, some shown herein front of the Seamen’s Bethel, served as JuniorInterpreters during special events and worked with parkstaff to design a kid’s activity booklet and a local historycalendar.
In 2005, New Bedford was the host city for the MelvilleSociety’s Fifth Annual International Conference, FrederickDouglass and Herman Melville: A SesquicentennialCelebration. The conference, a collaborative effortbetween the park and numerous community partners,celebrated the 150th anniversary of the publication ofboth Douglass’s My Bondage and My Freedom andMelville’s Benito Cereno.
The annual Working Waterfront Festival, which began in2004, highlights and brings attention to New Bedford’scommercial fishing industry through maritime craftdemonstrations and music, panel discussions, seafoodcooking demonstrations, safety demonstrations, fishingboat tours, and oral history workshops.
Groupo Folkloric Clube SS Sacramento (Madeiran folkdancers) is just one of the many ethnic groups that haveperformed during AHA! (Art, History and Architecture),downtown New Bedford’s free monthly night of arts andculture. The AHA! program has served as the park’s link tothe arts community since its inception in 1999.
Park and New Bedford WhalingMuseum sign agreement with
Mystic Seaport to tell the story ofAmerican whaling
October 24, 2006 Ground breaking ceremoniesfor Corson Building rehabilitation project
Nathan and Mary (Polly) Johnson House exteriorrehabilitation is completed by the New BedfordHistorical Society November 12, 2006 Park celebrates 10th anniversary
during Whale of a Weekend festivities, marking the50th anniversary of the world premiere of the 1956
film Moby Dick in New Bedford
The park and New Bedford Whaling Museum hosted a displayentitled From Mindelo to Water Street featuring the Museum’s,Jim Lopes’s, and other family’s historic images of Cape Verdeans.
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Volunteers-in-Parks
The National ParkService Volunteers-In-Parks Program(VIP) was authorizedby Public Law 91-357enacted 1970. Theprimary purpose of
the VIP program is to provide a vehiclethrough which the National Park Servicecan accept and utilize voluntary help andservices from the public. The majorobjective of the program is to utilize thisvoluntary help in such a way that ismutually beneficial to the National ParkService and the volunteer.
National Park ServiceVolunteers-in-Parks Mission Statement
I was very impressedby the quality andexpertise of the parkvolunteers at theinformation desk.
Visitor Comment,2003 Visitor Survey
Much of the park’s success over the last 10years can be attributed to the dedication andexpertise of hundreds of volunteers who havedonated thousands of hours to the NationalPark Service. Since 1998, the volunteers at NewBedford Whaling National Historical Park havecontributed almost 60,000 hours staffing thevisitor center information desk and specialevents, conducting walking tours, serving onthe Volunteer Council, and attending trainingsessions.
Many park volunteers also give their time tolocal cultural organizations and the sharing ofthese valuable human resources has resulted ina comprehensive and seamless visitorexperience. The park volunteers’ efforts andcontributions were recognized in 2006 whenthey were given the National Park ServiceNortheast Region Volunteer Program of theYear award.
I’ve been a Visitorcenter volunteer formore than ten yearsand it’s still one of thehigh points of myweek. The visitors arefriendly and apprecia-tive, and you get theadded bonus ofknowing you’re helpingboth the visitors andthe community.
Arthur Bennett,Park Volunteer
Right: Park volunteerBillie Klawitter helpslocal school children
with the Junior Rangeractivity booklet.
Left: Park volunteer JudyRoderiques leads awalking tour of the park.
A Network of Partners
Who but a foolwould take hisleft hand by hisright, and sayto himself, howd’ye do?Partners! Imust havePartners!
Herman Melville,Moby-Dick, 1850
The National Park Service in New Bedford workswith a wide and diverse network of partners toachieve its mission. Most of the projects high-lighted in this publication were completed throughcollaborations with organizations who share asimilar education and preservation mission with thePark. These include the New Bedford WhalingMuseum, the city of New Bedford, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, the WaterfrontHistoric Area LeaguE, the Inupiat Heritage Center,Schooner Ernestina, and the New Bedford HistoricalSociety. Other partners have, through innovativecollaborative programming with the Park,contributed greatly to the understanding andappreciation of the city’s whaling past and culturalheritage. Some of the innovative projects the Parkhas collaborated on with this network of partnersare illustrated here.
Special Thanks
The Southeastern MassachusettsConvention and Visitors Bureauprovides funding for thepublication of several brochuresoffered by the park and itspartners. The UndergroundRailroad: New Bedford (shownleft) is one example.
Eastern National, who operates a sales outlet in the park visitorcenter, supports the mission of the park through donationprograms and funding opportunities. Eastern National assistedwith the printing of the park’s Junior Ranger activity bookletand sponsored several interpretive and educational planninginitiatives. In 2006, Eastern National provided funding toexpand the sales outlet allowing for the addition of severalnew educational and interpretive sales items.
The park collaborated with Artworks! on many projects overthe last decade. At the Crossroads (left) is just one example ofseveral exhibits jointly produced that highlighting the stronghistorical as well as contemporary connections with placesvisited by New Bedford whalemen. The park and Artworks!also co-sponsored an Artist-in-Residence program, summeryouth programs, and arts and culture planning charettes.
The park partnered with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouthand New Bedford Public Schools on several educational initiativesincluding professional development workshops for teachers andafter-school programs for local students. Park staff conductedsessions for content institutes such as the Connecting OceansAcademy (participants shown left in front of the WharfingerBuilding), offered in collaboration with the New BedfordOceanarium and the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Visions ofSlavery, and Melville and Multiculturalism. The Speech Academyafter-school program taught middle school students publicspeaking skills while introducing them to park resources.
The National Council for the Traditional Arts, through acooperative agreement with the National Park Service, offeredsupport to the Working Waterfront Festival throughdocumentation of the commercial fishing culture by assistingwith panel discussions (shown left) and by conductingoral histories. This support enabled the festival toextend its reach beyond a once a year event bycreating a permanent archive of materials that willserve as the basis for ongoing research, curriculumdevelopment, and interpretive exhibits.
Summerfest, an international folk music festival held annually inthe park, is a collaboration between the New Bedford AreaChamber of Commerce, the city of New Bedford, and the NewBedford Standard Times. Other highlights of this very popularevent include the availability of fresh New Bedford seafood,whaleboat races in New Bedford harbor, and a juried arts andcrafts marketplace.
Charting the Course
New Bedford Whaling National HistoricalPark is a compelling destination thatpreserves and interprets the Americanwhaling industry and its global influencethrough an exemplary national model ofpartnership and communitycollaboration.
Park Vision Statementdeveloped by Park staff and partners
at strategic planning session, 2006
Superintendent’s Message
The Corson Building, which is located next to the park visitorcenter, consists of two three-story brick structures built in 1875 and1884. In 1997, a devastating fire ripped through the building.The Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE (WHALE), a non-profitpreservation organization, came to the building’s rescue after thefire, acquired the building, and secured the funds for itsstabilization. WHALE donated the building to the park in 2004.
The Corson Building redevelopment plan calls for the creation of anumber of interpretive and educational spaces in the facilityincluding a 60 seat theater, a large multi-purpose education space,a seminar room, archival storage, and exhibition galleries. The planalso includes a link structure that will connect the adjacent visitorcenter to the Corson Building and a re-designed public outdoorprogram space.
Construction began in October 2006 and includes the fabricationand installation of a new structural steel frame, foundations andmechanical systems. The historic exterior will be restored with theinstallation of new windows, re-pointing of the brick façade, andthe restoration of the cast iron storefronts to their originalappearance.
Celeste Bernardo
Whalemen knew that the first few weeks of a voyage would be a period of adjustment.Crew members had to get to know each other, discover each others strengths andweaknesses, compensate for both, and learn to work together as a team. Only thencould they be successful at accomplishing what they had set out to do – to bring homea full hold of whale oil.
Park staff and partners at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park have alsoembarked on a voyage during the last ten years. Along the way we’ve learned eachother’s organizational cultures, weathered storms, built trust, and shared successes.Individual staff members have come and gone, while others have remained steadfast.Through it all, we worked together to preserve and interpret the structures, collections,and landscapes in New Bedford associated with the American whaling story.
What will the next decade hold for the park? The partners are currently engaged instrategic planning to set a course and ensure continued success. Future projectsinclude innovative educational programming, new partnerships, research andinterpretation of the people and sites associated with the whaling industry, and anincrease in historic preservation and development projects. As we define our collectivepriorities and identify the necessary resources to accomplish future goals, there is onething we are certain of – we will do it together.
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Pedestriancrossing
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To New BedfordFire Museum
To ButtonwoodPark and Zoo
To Pope’s Island Marinaand Fairhaven
To Ferry Parking
Passenger Ferry to Cuttyhunk
Passenger Ferryto Martha’s Vineyard
BusStation
New BedfordFire Museum
Nathan and PollyJohnson Properties
Free PublicLibrary
City Hall
UMassCVPA/
BCC
ZeiterionTheatre
WhalingMuseumLibrary
New BedfordArt Museum
ArtWorks!
Whaleman Statue
LewisTempleStatue Seamen’s
Bethel
New BedfordWhaling Museum
Rotch-Jones-Duff House and
Garden Museum
Schooner Ernestina
ParkVisitorCenter
Waterfront Visitor Center(Wharfinger Building)
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Park Map
New Bedford WhalingNational Historical Park
Park Staff
SuperintendentCeleste Bernardo
AdminstrativeProgram SpecialistMichelle Spink
Chief of Visitor ServicesJennifer Gonsalves
Historical ArchitectDerek Santos
Park Ranger -Web and PublicationsFrank Barrows
Visitor Use AssistantKelly DeMelo
New Bedford WhalingNational Historical Park33 William StreetNew Bedford, MA 02740
E-mailwww.nps.gov/nebe
Fax Number(508) 984-1250
Park Headquarters(508) 996-4095
The National Park Servicecares for the special placessaved by the Americanpeople so that all mayexperience our heritage.
All images in this publication are theproperty of the National Park Serviceunless otherwise noted.
Courtesy of Spinner Publications
