Herman Melville's New Bedford Walking Tour

PRINT THIS BROCHURE to embark on a year-round, self-guided journey through Melville's New Bedford | Like many of his contemporaries, Melville was looking for adventure and joining a whaling crew. From his experience arose one of the greatest American novels ever written, Moby-Dick. It is not surprising that Melville chose New Bedford as his point of embarkation. In 1841, the port was the whaling capital of the world, and its waterfront teemed with sailors and tradespeople drawn from every corner of the globe by the whaling industry's promise of prosperity and adventure. By 1823, New Bedford had surpassed Nantucket in the number of whaling ships leaving its harbor each year and by 1840, with the arrival of the railroad and easier access to markets in New York and Boston, the domination of the port was decisive. This brochure highlights some of the places that may have inspired Melville to write so vividly about the landscape of New Bedford in Chapters 2 through 13 of the novel. Though some buildings have long since disappeared, the city of New Bedford retains some of the landmarks and a good deal of the character that sparked Melville's imagination.

Visit Our Site