Westport (Massachusetts) History

The Multicultural World of a Westport Whaler

Bruce White will deliver a talk on "The Multicultural World of a Westport Whaler" at the Bell School, 25 Drift Rd., Head of Westport, on June 8, a Wednesday, at 7:30 P. M. Bruce White, a New Zealander of Maori, American and Scottish ancestry, is a university librarian with a long-standing interest in history. This interest has led him to his own New England heritage, and to an interest in the Westport Manufacturing Company, with which one of his ancestors was affiliated. His talk will concentrate on that company, but will include reference to whaling and whalers.

White's research on the Westport Cotton Manufacturing Company is based on a series of land transfer documents that reveal the scope of the operation and perhaps some of the reasons for its failure. He will touch on the cotton mill boom of 1805-1815, particularly at the beginning of the War of 1812. He will look closely at some of the individuals involved, particularly Job White, concluding with an account of some of the people involved after the collapse of the original company.

Please call the Society at 508-636-6011 for reservations.