Posted on June 7, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
“I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.” Attributed to Harriet Tubman What was the moment of becoming free like for enslaved African Americans? Emancipation provoked a wide range of emotions, all of which are conveyed within a short […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 15, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
Westport’s Forgotten Rite of Spring Westport’s old-timers have fond memories of a now forgotten tradition of May baskets. These hand-made paper or cardboard baskets, filled with small treats and trinkets, were hung on a neighbor’s door as a gift. It was a May time tradition that celebrated life in a close-knit community, neighborly familiarity and […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 14, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
After crisscrossing the country from Westport to Alaska and back again, an extraordinary collection of materials relating to the history of North Westport has arrived at the Westport Historical Society. The Sherman family collection includes deeds, correspondence, photographs, maps, and journals that will significantly enrich our understanding of the far northern parts of Westport in […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 6, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
If you have driven by the Bell School in recent weeks, you may have noticed some significant activity is taking place. This project marks the beginning of a multi-phase effort to address structural weaknesses and to transform the Bell School into a resource that is more relevant to the community of Westport and better suited […]
Continue ReadingPosted on February 9, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
Written by Jenny O’Neill, Executive Director, Westport Historical Society 2022 What is the significance of this handwoven mat made in Newfoundland to the history of Westport? Named after Sir Wilfred Grenfell, a British doctor known for his humanitarian work among the fishermen of northern Newfoundland and Labrador, these Grenfell hooked mats have become prominent […]
Continue ReadingPosted on February 3, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
Can you imagine the life of Paul Cuffe? Ray Shaw, a Westport resident and graphic artist, uses watercolor sketches to help visualize the past. His graphite and loose watercolor ‘storybook’ style challenges the viewer to use their imagination to interpret a given subject.
Continue ReadingPosted on January 27, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
Read the journal and learn more about Frederick Allen at this link Westport Point, Massachusetts was a relatively small but active whaling port in the 1830s and 1840s, one of about 40 whaling ports in the Northeast. As a result, many young Westporters went “a-whaling”. One such young man was Frederick Allen (1809-1874), whose family […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 14, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
Westport Town Farm 830 Drift Road, Westport MA Photography by David Allen, 2008 “From the buildings themselves to what artifacts may be left behind, there is a sense of lives lived. Narratives are suggested and the ephemeral nature of life and death is felt. These incremental photographic slices seek to explore the fluid, always changing […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 8, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
“Over the hill to the poor-house – me child’rn dear, good-by! Many a night I’ve watched you when only God was nigh; And God’ll judge between us; but I will al’ays pray That you shall never suffer the half I do today.” Will Carleton, 1904 The Westport Historical Society has a temporary new […]
Continue ReadingPosted on December 17, 2021 by Jenny ONeill
The most famous and fascinating quilt in the Museum of Fine Art’s collection is the Harriet Powers Pictorial Quilt, which for 60 years hung in a house at Westport Point! The Pictorial Quilt is a center piece of the current exhibition at the MFA, Fabric of a Nation, American Quilt Stories. The story of the […]
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