Old Dartmouth historical sketches - New Bedford Whaling Museum

SHIPBUILDERS OF MATTAPOISETTIS a great pleasure to welcome you here today. MattapoisettIT is indeed honored by this visit of the Old Dartmouth HistoricalSociety; and, as I hope to show, it is entirely fittingthat such a visit should take place. From the earliest settlementsin Mattapoisett, the relationships between the seafaringand shipbuilding citizens of this village and those of all portionsof Old Dartmouth were of the closest nature. Unfortunately,with the exception of those wise people of New Bedford whoshow their good taste by choosing Mattapoisett's shores fortheir summer homes, there has been in recent years a deplorabletendency on the part of New Bedfordites to regard Mattapoisettas the furthest outpost of the wilderness. On many occasionshave I driven the short seven miles to New Bedford for anevening's entertainment, only to be greeted with an astonished,"What! You came all the way from Mattapoisett?"But in the great days of whaling the people of New Bedfordwere well acquainted with Mattapoisett and what the name stoodfor. New Bedford merchants, shipowners, whaling agents, captains,and sailors — which meant, of course, the entire malepopulation of the city — knew that from the Mattapoisett shipyardscame many and many of the finest whaleships that NewBedford's great fleet could boast. Nor was that all. Mattapoisettshipmasters captained New Bedford whalers; many youngmen of this village helped swell the crews of your ships; timberfrom the forests hereabouts was used in your shipyards; and onseveral occasions Mattapoisett shipbuilders established yards inNew Bedford. I won't go so far as to say that they showedyour shipbuilders a trick or two in the business, but at least theywere highly regarded for what they were — experts in theirtrade.In its day Mattapoisett was the most famous whaleshipbuilding port in the world. The list of vessels known to havebeen built at Mattapoisett now numbers 300; and all indicationsshow that if the early Custom House records of Nantucketand New Bedford were available, this number would be doubled.Mattapoisett built ships not only for Nantucket and New Bedford,but for Salem, Boston, Yarmouth, Barnstable, Fairhaven,