The Whaling Empire of Andrew Hicks

Andrew Hicks became one of Westport’s most prominent and enduring entrepreneurs in the whaling industry, owning 9 vessels registered at Westport. He was born in Westport in 1799, the eldest son of Barney and Sarah Cook Hicks. In 1836 he fitted out his first vessel, the President and his success continued for the next 50 […]

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Owner: Thomas Mayhew

Thomas Mayhew was the principal owner of the Catherwood and Thomas Winslow in the 1840’s. Undoubtedly, the profits from these voyages funded the construction of this distinctive federal style house at 2018 Main Road, Westport Point, circa 1848. [Photograph courtesy Jon Alden]

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Owner: Henry Wilcox

[Please note: Clicking on an image will result in a larger image in a separate window.] Account books kept by Henry Wilcox reveal the business side of the whaling industry. These pages show accounting for the Bark Theophilus Chase on her first voyage in 1842. Note the diversified ownership of this vessel, Henry Wilcox owning […]

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A Westport Woman goes Whaling

Abbie Maria Dexter Hicks went whaling in 1873. We know this because she kept a diary from June 23, 1873 to September 13, 1874 in a tiny book that measures only 5” by 3” in the collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Her husband was Captain Edward E. Hicks. Two months after their marriage […]

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