History of New Bedford "VIP 3 Tour"

Telling the History of New Bedford Through Its Architecture Join the incomparable Bruce Barnes on his VIP 3 Walking Tour in west end New Bedford. The VIP 3 tour visits seven family houses where we learn about the families associated with these houses, and their significance and impacts to the history of New Bedford. Learn about Joseph Rotch (1704-1784), the man who brought Whaling to New Bedford from Nantucket. Without his entrepreneurial drive and genius, New Bedford never would have become "The City That Lit The World." He was the progenitor of some of the most important and influential personages in the city. At his imposing County Street Mansion, discover Joseph Grinnell (1788-1885), the man who brought textiles to New Bedford and a member of the U.S House of Representatives. An abolitionist and close associate of Abraham Lincoln, who stayed at this mansion, he was renowned for his financial acumen. John H. Clifford (1809-1876) was the only man from New Bedford to become governor of Massachusetts. He is most known as the prosecutor at the famed prosecution of the Parkman Murder, the trial that introduced the use of circumstantial evidence as well as the “beyond a reasonable doubt” concept to criminal proceedings. At the Swain Stable, last remaining part of the Swain Estate, learn about the legacy of William W. Swain (1793-1858) and Lydia Swain (1793-1878), founders of the Swain School, now part of U Mass Dartmouth. After the early death of their son Robert, the Swains were key influencers in the lives and careers of architect Robert Swain Peabody and artist R. Swain Gifford, both named in honor of Robert. The Pierce family - Andrew G. Pierce (1829-1903), Otis N. Pierce Jr. (1939-1932), Edward T. Pierce (1855-1935), and Andrew T. Pierce Jr. (1864-1950). were one of the most powerful and influential families in US textile industry Learn about the Pierces. As the long-time publisher of the New Bedford Standard Times, Basil Brewer (1883-1975) was one of the most powerful and influential people in NewBedford from the 1950s until the 1960s. A prominent and ardent conservative, Brewer’s endorsement of liberal John F. Kennedy almost single-handedly won him the senatorial election of 1952 over powerful conservative Republican Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. The Crapo family is one of the most important and influential in the history of New Bedford. Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869) was a notable nurseryman, businessman, and politician, notable for driving the creation of the first free public library in the United States, the New Bedford Free Public Library. He was later governor of Michigan. William Wallace Crapo (1830-1926) was a major influencer in New Bedford as President of the Wamsutta Mills, a US Congressman, lawyer, not to mention the man who commissioned the Whaleman’s Statue in front of the library. Henry Howland Crapo II (1862-1951) was a prominent New Bedford lawyer and businessman as well as a prominent local historian and author. Google map of the tour at: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edi... 0:00 – Introduction 00:32 – The Rotch Rodman Mansion (1833) - Joseph Rotch Senior (1704-1784) 13:01 – The Joseph Grinnell Mansion (1836) - Joseph Grinnell (1788-1885) 21:19 – The John H. Clifford House (1830) – John H. Clifford (1809-1876) 31:14 – The Swain Stable (1810) –William W. Swain (1793-1858) and Lydia Swain (1793-1878) 38:10 – The Andrew T. Pierce Jr House (1881) - Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869), William W. Crapo (1830-1926), and Henry Howland Crapo II (1862-1951). 50:25 – The Basil Brewer House (1841) – Basil Brewer (1883-1975) 01:01:01 – The Crapo House (1840) Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869), William Wallace Crapo (1830-1926), and Henry Howland Crapo II (1862-1951) Thanks to the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Spinner Publications, the New Bedford Free Public Library, Digital Commonwealth, and Google Maps for selected images Music: Sweet Georgia Brown by The United States Army Field Band