Stove Boats, Shipwrecks, and Cannibalism: The Perils of Westport Whaling Voyages
Whaling was a dangerous business. On long voyages so many things could go wrong. Men got sick far from land. […]
Local history articles, Maritime, Whaling Disasters
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Nineteenth Century, Shipbuilding
Westport’s Shipbuilding Challenges
Westport’s Unique Shipbuilding Challenges In the early years, launching boats and conducting business on the Noquochoke (East Branch of the […]
Shipbuilding in Westport Overview
It doesn’t take long for one to realize that Buzzard’s Bay coastal communities are a special place; pristine, tranquil places […]
Shipbuilding – Where Did They Build These Ships?
Where did they build these ships? There appears to be very little documented evidence of exactly where early boat building […]
Local history articles
How Westport Became a Town (1787)
By Tony Connors Most sources describing Westport’s split from Dartmouth say something like: “In 1787 Westport separated from Dartmouth and […]
African American Context, Paul Cuffe
“Whoso gives the motive, makes his brother’s sin his own.”
Our collection includes a bound set of The Non-Slaveholder, a 19th century publication with a special approach to the anti-slavery […]
Local history articles
Recent Archaeological Excavations at the Waite-Kirby-Potter Site
This article was written by Christa M. Beranek and Katharine M. Johnson Fiske Center for Archaeological Research, University of Massachusetts […]
Local history articles
Kit Houses of Westport
In the early 20th century seven major companies were engaged in the production and sales of “kit homes.” Sears Roebuck […]
Local history articles
Who Was Charlotte White?
We see her name on the street sign in the center of Westport: Charlotte White Road. She is mentioned in […]
Local history articles
Secession – in Westport!
We all learned the word secession in school, and probably associated it with South Carolina’s departure from the Union in […]