Merrill’s Wharf Historic District is a historic district that you can visit in New Bedford with your Plymouth, Massachusetts van rental. It is an area of land that is about one acre, and includes the Steamship Authority Pier, the Coal Pocket Pier, and Merrill’s Wharf.

Area history

When you visit with your Plymouth, Massachusetts rental van, you will find that the area was built in the first half of the 19th century when New Bedford was an active whaling community. Today, the district is significant to the city because it is the only remaining portion of the city that is unaltered along the waterfront. It was purchased by Captain Edward Merrill in 1837 and stayed in the family until 1905.

The wharf

When you are here with your Massachusetts rental van, you will learn this was an important location for the coastal islands in the area. In 1838, the wharf was built to accommodate boats. At the time, there were seven wharves built in the area, but this was the longest. The Merrill’s Wharf Building was built as a counting house, or office. The building was damaged in the 1970s due to a fire, but the building was restored and the wharf remains the city’s principle wharf for the commercial fishing fleet.

Exploring the city

When you are here with your rental van Plymouth, you can also explore the city. New Bedford is a small city that is 51 miles south of Boston. It once dominated the whaling industry, but today fishing and manufacturing are the most important industries in the area, as well as a tourist destination. There are, of course, festivals that center around the whaling industry to celebrate the history of the city. There is the traditional Blessing of the Fleet, and the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, which are large festivals that take place. Tourism has been increasing steadily to the city in recent years. In fact, the first hotel in the city is scheduled to open in June 2010. There are a number of bed and breakfasts for you to enjoy in the city, but this will be the first hotel to open in over 40 years.

A whale of a tale

As a historic whaling center, there is also the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, which is the only national park in the county that focuses on the impact that whaling has had on the country. You can visit this 34 acre park when you are here with your Plymouth, Massachusetts van rental. Part of the park includes the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the New Bedford National Historic Landmark District, the Seamen’s Bethel, the Schooner Ernestina, the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum, as well as a visitor’s center. The Whaling Museum contains a collection of exhibitions on whaling, including fine art, glass, furniture, and other decorative arts that came to the area as a result of the whaling industry. The Schooner Ernestina is a schooner that made scientific expeditions to the Arctic during World War II. The New Bedford Historic District is west of the community waterfront, but this was at one time the downtown area of the city. Most of the buildings here were built between 1790 and 1855.

When you are here with your Plymouth, Massachusetts rental van, you will find that New Bedford has a wealth of history to explore when you are here. As an important whaling center in the 19th century, this was a rich city that continues to play an important role today. Merrill’s Wharf Historic District is significant as it is the only part of the waterfront that remains unchanged.