Utility Over Elegance - New Bedford, MA
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 41° 38.112 W 070° 55.371
19T E 339844 N 4611060
One of New Bedford's streets...little changed since the whaling days.
Waymark Code: WMKWTG
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 06/04/2014
Views: 3
The National Parks Service sign has an old photo of Centre Street from the old whaling days and reads:
"Utility Over Elegance
The view down Centre Street has changed little
over the years, and no street in New Bedford
served the whaling industry longer. Little finery
can be seen in the facades of these buildings, for
this was a working waterfront, where utility
overrode the need for elegance.
Where Centre meets Front Street, town founder
Joseph Russell built the first candleworks around
1768 to further his investment in the growing
whaling industry. The brick warehouses at the
bottom of the street at left, built about 1790,
housed a ship chandlery and iron business.
At times, other buildings have served as bake
shops, an ice plant and cold storage warehouse,
and a ship and house painter's shop."
Agency Responsible for Placement: National Park Service
Year Placed: unknown
County: Bristol
City/Town Name: New Bedford
Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Not listed
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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