Posted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
[Newspaper article on Andrew Hicks from WHS] Every whaling voyage was a financial gamble. For the owner of a whaling vessel it could lead to financial ruin or fabulous riches. A select group of Westporters possessed the business acumen and good judgment to weather the fluctuations of the whale oil market over a long period […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
By the mid 19th century, the wealth and aspirations of retired whaling masters and ship-owners had transformed the Head of Westport from a center of industry into a genteel community. The flurry of shipbuilding probably depleted timber resources and the industrial activities that had dominated the Head gradually gave way to services for wealthy retired […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
John Avery Parker personifies the risky entrepreneurial spirit of the late 1700’s. He came to the Head of Westport in the 1790’s, opening a store and building ships. Yet as his business seemed to be failing and it was feared he would become a burden, the selectmen ordered him to leave. Parker moved to New […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
“The day the vessels are launched there would be 3 or 4 hundred present, and as it was understood to be free drinks all day, almost everybody turned out and almost every other person was feeling much pleased with the day’s doings, if indeed they were able to tell how they did feel. Many had […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
Shipbuilding took place all along the river. Thomas Winslow, a shipbuilder from Assonet, bought land east of The Landing. He was the master carpenter and namesake for the last large vessel to be built at the Head, the Thomas Winslow. Built in 1828, it was 135 tons, 73 feet in length, breadth 21 feet, depth […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
(Click picture for a larger image.) The Landing has been a vital area in the history of the town of Westport. In the 18th and 19th centuries the landing was filled with a number of buildings that served the commercial interests of the area. Most importantly it was the scene of boat and ship construction, […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
Waterpower was key to the Head’s development in the 1700’s and to its involvement in the whaling industry. The river, which dropped nearly 40 feet just before the Head, provided consistent and abundant energy to power mills. George Lawton, one of the first to exploit this natural phenomenon, built a saw and grist mill north […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
It is hard to imagine today, but 200 years ago, the Head of Westport was a dynamic community of merchants, millers, shipbuilders and sailors. It epitomized the entrepreneurial spirit, more so than any other part of Westport. The Head of Westport was perfectly positioned for the whaling industry, located on a fortunate natural confluence of […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
“Down to the Sea in Ships” was a unique and highly popular film about whaling. Made in the 1920’s, it included many local people who had been directly involved in the whaling industry. The author of the script, John L. E. Pell, had been inspired by his visits to Westport Point in 1890’s. “We stayed […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 26, 2008 by Greg Stone
Westport’s whaling activities consisted of over 300 voyages made by Westport registered vessels over a period of about 100 years between 1775 and 1879. By 1855 Westport was homeport for between 18-22 whaling ships, employing hundreds of men. With the discovery of petroleum in 1859, the whaling industry gradually declined. The voyage of the Andrew […]
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