Fairhaven

From Provincetown we crossed back over Cape Cod Bay and went through the Cape Cod Canal to Onset, Massachusetts.  After an overnight in Onset, MA on Friday August 23rd, we were off to New Bedford/Fairhaven, MA Saturday morning August 24th.   It was only about 30 miles and since we left early, we arrived by about 10:30 AM giving us a lot of time Saturday.  A quick boat wash and some lunch and we were off on our bikes.

Coming into New Bedford Harbor

Like many of the towns here, there was a great bike trail.  Keith and I took a ride after lunch on Saturday.

Here are some of the sites along the bike trail.  It was a "chamber of commerce" day.

Creative shot of moss on the fence

Back in town after our bike ride, we got to see some of the gorgeous historic buildings here in Fairhaven.

Town Hall

The Town Hall building was financed by Henry H. Rogers and given to the town as a gift from his wife Abbie.  Designed by architect Charles Brigham this French Gothic building features quartered oak paneling on the interior, solid brass fixtures and leaded stained glass windows.  There is a four faced clock at the top of the tower.  Mark Twain, a close friend of Henry Rogers, appeared on stage here Feb. 22, 1894 as the keynote speaker for the building's dedication ceremony.

The Unitarian Memorial Church

The church is a beautiful English, Gothic style cathedral also designed by architect Charles Brigham and  built in 1904 by Henry H. Rogers in memory of his mother Mary Rogers.  It uses local granite and Indiana limestone in its structure.  Artisans from Italy cut the stone and woodcarvers from Bavaria sculpted the woodwork inside the cathedral.  The stained glass windows were created by New York impressionist painter Robert Reid.   Tours are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays (unfortunately we were in town on the weekend).  The inside is supposed to be stunning as well.

A brief word about Henry Huttleston Rogers may be in order.  Born here in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, Rogers was a descendent of  the Mayflower Pilgrims.  He made his fortune in the oil refining business and became a leader at Standard Oil.  He also had numerous business enterprises in the gas, copper, steel, banking, and railroad industries.  Despite his enormous success, he was a generous philanthropist.  Along with the above cathedral and town hall he also built and donated to his home town of Fairhaven a library, high school, Masonic lodge and several other buildings and parks.  

Sunday August 25th had some showers around in the morning.  Once the rain appeared to have stopped Keith and I biked over the bridge from Fairhaven to New Bedford and the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  They have an extensive collection of artifacts and displays.

This was just one of 4 full whale skeletons in the museum.  This is the skeleton of a sperm whale.

The largest animal in the world is the Blue Whale.  An adult Blue whale can grow to 100 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds.  The heart of a Blue whale can weigh 1,000 pounds and circulates 1,400 gallons of blood.  It beats approx. 8-10 times per minute.

Captain James H. Sherman

This pictures is of Captain James H. Sherman in 1933 at the age of 88.  He is considered the "Dean of US Whaling".   He first went whaling in 1862 at the age of 18.  By 1890 he had made eleven whaling voyages all around the world, had been shipwrecked in the Western Arctic, had been several times in boats stoved (severely damaged) by whales, and quelled mutinies, visited ports around the world and commanded 4 whaling voyages.  

From Fairhaven we will be off to the yachting capital of New England, Newport, RI.