Posted on May 29, 2025 by Jenny ONeill
This commemorative handkerchief from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition depicts the source of seeds that created Westport’s Macomber turnip. Westport can lay claim to its very own vegetable, the Macomber turnip. In 1876 Adin (1845-1915) and Elihu Macomber (1846-1933) ventured to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition where they procured some seeds. The brothers planted the seed on […]
Continue ReadingPosted on May 28, 2025 by Jenny ONeill
Macomber fowls / “Tripps Yaller Hens” / Rhode Island Red Have you ever heard of the Macomber fowl? By Richard Gifford Westport farmer John Macomber played an important role in the breeding of the Rhode Island Red, “an egg laying machine.” He swapped hens with Little Compton farmer William Tripp, and successfully bred “an […]
Continue ReadingPosted on April 28, 2025 by Jenny ONeill
Donation of WW2 silk escape map spotlights the service of a Westport US army air force gunner Russell S. Manchester grew up at Westport Point and graduated from Westport High School in 1938. By the age of 23, he had flown 50 missions with the 15th Army Air Force over Nazi-held territory. He carried with […]
Continue ReadingPosted on January 17, 2025 by Jenny ONeill
This exquisite model of the Kate Cory was recently donated to the Westport Historical Society. Learn more about it from the modelmaker Tom Schmitt in this short video:
Continue ReadingPosted on November 18, 2024 by Jenny ONeill
A collection of images of Westport Point, late 1800s, showing dredging of the Harbor, Main Road, the old Point bridge and the bridge to Masquasatch.
Continue ReadingPosted on September 3, 2024 by Jenny ONeill
A collection of materials relating to the history of Westport skiffs and boat builders such as Fred Hart, George Hart and Jim Vaughan as well as Scott Gifford’s Macomber 15 skiff. Donated by Howie Gifford 2024.023
Continue ReadingPosted on December 30, 2022 by Jenny ONeill
Fragments of Westport’s History Preserved in Scrapbooks The Westport Historical Society’s scrapbook collection includes more than 30 volumes, amounting to more than 1000 pages. Many of the scrapbooks have been digitized for easy access via our online collections database. The collection provides a valuable miscellany of local news, spanning a timeframe from the late 1800’s […]
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 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 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 […]
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