Tag: streetcars

The New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Massachusetts

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

In the early years of the United States of America, whaling was a way of life.  What is whaling?  Men would step aboard ships, and they would head out to sea.  Why?  They were hunting whales.  They would take harpoons and throw them at the whales.  (Harpoons are basically a specific kind of spear mainly used to pierce the thick skin of animals.)  The whales were pulled onto the ship, and they were processed at sea and turned into lubrication and oil used for lighting.  Back in the day, it was the main source of income particularly in the New England States.  The story of Moby Dick is a story that was inspired by the whaling industry.  (Moby Dick was the name of a fictional whale.)  Today, the hunting of whales has been banned in the United States of America.  (It is still legal in some countries but with limitations.)  Although the whaling industry is no more, you can learn more about the industry at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in the city of New Bedford in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.  In the heyday of the whaling industry, New Bedford was an international port city.  Today, you can see the waterways where the whalers (whale hunters) would depart and return each day.  The New Bedford Whaling Museum tells the story of the whalers, the industry, and the life of a whaling town.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  This is great.  There is a museum that is dedicated to whaling.  I do have a problem with this museum.  What is the problem?  This is a whaling museum, not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I will not have a whale of a time visiting this place.”

You do have a point.  It is called the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  It is about the whaling industry and not a railroad museum.  Why should somebody who is a railroad fan visit this museum?

The museum, founded in 1903 as the Old Dartmouth Historical Society but operates under the name ‘New Bedford Whaling Museum’, features different galleries and exhibits exhibiting the life in the whaling industry.  One exhibit displays a half scale model of a whaling ship called the ‘Lagoda’.  What is special about this ship?  It is the largest scale model ship in the world.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice.  However, there is nothing about the railroad here.”

What does this have to do with the railroad?  Well, there is no connection with the railroad and the whaling industry.  Why visit this museum?

The museum tells the story of the whaling industry in New Bedford, but New Bedford also had other industries like glass and textiles and other industries in the town.  One of the exhibit halls is the ‘Energy and Enterprise’ exhibit.  Yes, it displays the industries in the city.  As you look around, you see a model of a streetcar.  Streetcars began in New Bedford from 1872 by the New Bedford and Fairhaven Street Railway Company.  The Union Street Railway Company took over in 1887, and it ran until 1947.  A model of Streetcar Number 540 is in a glass display.

Is that all?  No.

Another display tells the story of how the railroad connected the city of New Bedford to the rest of the nation.  In 1840, the railroad came to town.  Being a major international port at the time, items were transported from the ships onto railroad cars and transported to various towns throughout the United States of America.

Yes, it is called the New Bedford Whaling Museum, but it also tells the history of the city and how the railroad was a big part of the city.  The museum also has collections that are related to the Old Colony Line, the New Bedford Railroad Company, and the Union Street Railway Company.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  It is located off of Interstate 195, U.S. Route 6, and Massachusetts Route 18.  It is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday) from 9:00am to 5:00pm.  The museum is fully wheelchair accessible.  Please note that the museum does not have its own parking.  You can get information on parking, buy tickets, look more into their intensive collection to include those about the railroads and streetcars, and get more information at Home – New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Yes, it is called the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  It is a whaling museum that also tells the story of how the railroad was a major contributor to the industry of this town.

The Fort Smith Trolley Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

When you think about trolleys in the United States of America, you think about the big cities particularly the city of San Francisco in the U.S. state of California, a city that is famous for its trolleys.  Very few people would ever think of smaller cities like the city of Fort Smith in the U.S. state of Arkansas.  When you think of Arkansas, you think of its natural areas and not its urban areas of which there are very few with the state capital of Little Rock and the metropolitan area of Memphis in the U.S. state of Tennessee.  The city of Fort Smith is located in the western part of the state on the Arkansas River and across the river from the U.S. state of Oklahoma.

Some of you are saying, “Well, it is called Fort Smith, but there was never a fort here.  They just named the city Fort Smith.”

Well, you are absolutely wrong.  The city of Fort Smith, Arkansas is named after Fort Smith, and you can visit the fort as it is a National Historic Site that is owned and operated by the National Park Service.  Very few people think that trolleys ever ran here, but it was once a trolley town where trolleys ran on the streets.  That is why you have the Fort Trolley Museum.

What is the Fort Smith Trolley Museum?  It is a small museum that tells the history of trolleys in the city of Fort Smith.  Although there are very few trolleys on display here, there is a restoration shop.  The museum has artifacts to include work tools and old paintings, and, if you are fortunate enough, you can even take a trolley ride on one of the original tracks.

The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is located at 100 South Fourth Street in Fort Smith, Arkansas next to the Fort Smith Historical Park just blocks from U.S. Route 64 and the bridge crossing the Arkansas River.  You can read more about the history of the trolleys and get museum hours which vary throughout the year at https://www.fstm.org/.

The city of Fort Smith, Arkansas may be named for an old fort, but it was once a trolley town.  The Fort Smith Trolley Museum keeps the memory of Fort Smith Trolleys alive for many years to come.