From Dave Brigham:
Let's call this post a continuation of an unofficial South Coast series. Not to be confused with the South Shore, the South Coast is the region of Massachusetts consisting of the southern part of Bristol and Plymouth counties, bordering Buzzards Bay, including the cities of Fall River and New Bedford, the southeastern tip of East Taunton and nearby towns, per Wikipedia.
"The 'South Coast' label was born as a public relations effort to counteract the perceived stigma of former terms like 'Greater Fall River,' 'Greater New Bedford,' or 'New Bedford-Fall River,' which conjured images, in many Massachusetts residents' minds, of depressed mill towns with run-down buildings and high unemployment," Wikipedia continues.
I profiled both New Bedford and Fall River, in part, last year. And while there are certainly run-down buildings in these old mill towns,, there are also great murals, restaurants/bars, repurposed industrial sites and much more.
For New Bedford posts: see June 22, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part III"; June 15, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part II"; and June 8, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part I".
For Fall River stuff: September 7, 2024, "Floating Through Fall River, Part III"; August 31, 2024, "Floating Through Fall River, Part II"; and August 24, 2024, "Floating Through Fall River, Part I".
While vacationing recently on the Cape, I considered another trip to either of those industrial cities, but settled instead on a town just a little closer: Fairhaven. Situated on the eastern bank of the Acushnet River, the town was incorporated in 1812. It lies directly across the river from New Bedford, and for a time in the first half of the 19th century, Fairhaven was a bustling whaling port, just like its neighbor.
"However, once New Bedford's predominance in the whaling industry became apparent, Fairhaven's economy evolved into one that supplemented the New Bedford economy rather than competing directly with it," according to Wikipedia. "Fairhaven became a town of shipwrights, ship chandlers, ropemakers, coopers, and sailmakers. It also became a popular location for ship-owners and ship-captains to build their homes and raise their children."
While Fairhaven's downtown isn't that large, it has some great old buildings. Beautiful homes abound, as do fishing vessels in the marina, and boat-adjacent businesses. So let's get to it!
I often find a town or city hall is a good place to start when exploring a new place. After parking next to Fairhaven's municipal headquarters (which I will feature below), I made my way the short distance west to the main intersection: Center and Main streets. There, I spied some old ads painted on windows.
"Oh, you gotta shoot the Ex-Lax sign," a voice called out from behind me. I walked across the street to greet a middle-aged woman and a couple perhaps a few years older. I think they'd just come from breakfast at the Little Village Cafe. "I love old signs," I replied, "but I've never seen one for Ex-Lax."
The trio told me that the building had once been a pharmacy, "with a soda fountain and everything." Currently, the building at the corner of Main and Center is home to the Euro Phoenix gift shop. The locals told me the longtime owner would be winding down the business soon. The store's Facebook page as of the end of September indicates that is true.
The solo woman recommended I check out the high school, a little ways north along Route 6. "They call it the Castle on the Hill," she said. I told her I would and bade her a good day.
The old pharmacy had some other cool signs.
As for the building, it's known historically as Phoenix Hall and dates to 1794! "Phoenix Hall is said to have been built as the first Congregational meetinghouse around 1790," according to MACRIS. "After the construction of the brick church on Center and William Streets around 1845, the old hall was turned on its site, raised, retrimmed, and reopened as a public hall with a block of stores beneath."
It has been known as both the Phoenix Pharmacy and Browne Pharmacy.
Across a parking lot to the north is Wah May Restaurant, which has been serving up Chinese food since 1961.
Heading north along Main Street, I was pleasantly surprised to see a quaint little building near the corner of Washington Street.
This building is quite old - it served as town hall in 1858, according to a sign to the left of the entrance.
The building also served as a fire station during its lifetime. Currently, it is maintained by the Fairhaven Protecting Society, which is a group of volunteers dedicated to maintaining the historical fire apparatus and equipment in the town, per the Facebook page.
Steps away, on Spring Street, is another building under the FPS's purview.
This is the former Contest 3 Engine Company House. I don't know what that means. Anybody got an idea?
At this point, I doubled back to Center Street, heading west. Right away, I saw an old bank that's been repurposed for the Northeast Maritime Institute.
Now known as Brigantine Hall, this Classical Revival building started out life in 1939 as Fairhaven Institute for Savings. The maritime institute has other buildings in town, some of which I will feature below.
At the corner of Center and Middle streets, I spied a nicely weathered old sign.
Cyril E. O'Leary, who I'm guessing may be retired, and his wife, made the local news in the summer of 1998 after surviving a fire on their boat. "Fairhaven attorney and inveterate sailor Cyril O'Leary and his wife Catherine 'Kitty' O'Leary, a teacher in New Bedford, are expected to fully recover from burns received in a cookstove accident Sunday aboard their boat," according to this South Coast Today article. "The couple was moved into the same room at Brigham and Women's Hospital after Mrs. O'Leary's condition improved Sunday night. 'It's going to be a good result,' Mr. O'Leary said yesterday during a brief telephone interview. 'Everybody's been very helpful.'"
I like the word "inveterate." I knew the word, but wasn't familiar with its meaning. Dictionary.com says it means "settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like."
I bet Cyril and Kitty were (and perhaps still are) a fun time.
Soon enough, I hit Water Street and things got a bit more boat-y.
Scandia Propeller & Marine Service has been serving "the propeller and hydraulic needs of the boating and fishing communities since 1961," per its web site. It's one of a handful of such businesses I saw while walking toward the waterfront.
A quick right turn and I was on Union Wharf, surrounded by boats in the water and in dry dock.
Heading back east, I made my way to Ferry Street and the absolutely adorable Ice Cream Cottage.
Having just wrapped up its third season of business, the creamery is located in a small building likely dating to the end of the 19th century.
Around the corner at 20 Main Street is the former office of the Fairhaven Star newspaper.
The Star was published from 1879 to 1967, according to this article.
Back at the intersection of Center and Main streets, across from Phoenix Hall, is the George H. Taber Masonic Lodge.
"This Georgian Revival commercial/office structure is the only really urban-type building in Fairhaven," per MACRIS. "It was presented to the George H. Taber Lodge of Masons in 1901 by Henry H. Rogers."
Current tenants include a real estate office.
For a second time, I headed north on Main Street. I decided to make my way to the high school I'd been told about. Across from Wah May is another maritime institute building.
I haven't found out anything about the building. Its namesake, Capt. Norman W. Lemley, "was a leader in developing national and international maritime safety and security standards, both with the U.S. Coast Guard and in retirement," according to his obituary. "For 36 years, he served on U.S. delegations to the United Nations' International Maritime Organization in London."
I detoured through Cushman Park, then hit Bridge Street and headed west for a short time. At the corner of Bridge and Middle streets, I dug the partial motorcycle on the roof of Artistic Auto Body.
On the opposite side of Middle Street is F.J. Moriarty Liquors. I like the green sign for the business, which has been around for at least 30 years.
Finally I made it to the Castle on the Hill along Huttleston Avenue.
This is hands-down the most ornate and beautiful public school building I have ever seen. Erected in 1906, the English Revival building was designed by Charles Brigham, an architect who shows up a lot on this blog.
MACRIS quotes the National Register Nomination form for the building: Brigham "chose to work in a vocabulary based on English building of the early 17th century Elizabethan period. During that period a Tudor-Gothic tradition of building had become the medium for new arrangements of plan and detail into which foreign influences, especially that of Flanders, were incorporated. The picturesque roofline, spiked by ogee-sided gables with iron finials; the symmetry of a central block flanked by lateral wings; the strong horizontals of the belt courses; and the limestone-mullioned window bands all echo Elizabethan-period English building."
From MACRIS: "Fairhaven’s historic high school, known as the 'Castle on the Hill,' is one of the most strikingly ornate secondary public schools in America. It was a gift to the town from native son and Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers, who in addition to donating the Town Hall, Millicent Library, Unitarian Memorial Church, Rogers School, and Masonic lodge, paved the town’s streets and installed its water works system."
In 2000, Flansburgh Architects renovated the school and built an addition. Check out the firm's web site for info and photos. As you can see in the photo, on the day I visited in August there was more renovation work going on.
From there I headed south, past many beautiful old homes.
On the corner of Washington and Walnut streets is yet another Northeast Martime building.
As you may have guessed, this is a former church building. "This late Federal structure was built as a church, appearing as the Unitarian Church on Atlases of 1850, 1863, and 1896," according to MACRIS. "Henry Huttleston Rogers bought the building, conveying it to the town in 1908 for use as a school."
It was also used as the home for the Boys Club of Fairhaven over the years.
In short order I made it back to my car, and Fairhaven Town Hall.
Built in 1894, the Romanesque Revival building -- another Charles Brigham design -- was commissioned by, you guessed it, Henry Huttleston Rogers. From MACRIS: "The granite in the hall's lower story came from St. George, New Brunswick, while that used in caps, sills and quoins in the upper stories came from Red Beach, Maine. The shade of red of the smooth machine-pressed bricks identified them to contemporary architects as 'Delmonico bricks,' (the color said to have been developed for the Delmonico building in New York)."
Across Center Street is the Millicent Library, another Rogers/Brigham project.
"It was given to the town of Fairhaven by the Rogers children in memory oftheir sister Mllicent Gifford Rogers, who had died at age 18 on August 31, 1890," according to MACRIS.
Across Walnut Street from the library is Universalist Society of Fairhaven.
Built in 1902 "in the 15th century English Perpendicular Gothic style" (thanks, MACRIS), the church is also known as -- wait for it -- the Rogers Memorial Church. It was designed by Charles Brigham.
My final stop, right across from my car, was the First Congregational Church of Fairhaven.
This lovely Gothic Revival church is atypical in that it wasn't commissioned by Rogers or designed by Brigham. Completed in 1844, the church "was one of four by architect Minard Lafever in New England," per MACRIS. "[I]t was considered to be one of the most beautiful and imposing structures of its type on either side of the port of New Bedford. Originally the steeple was the landmark for whaling and merchant ships entering New Bedford Harbor. Many of the captains and sailors were members of this church."
The steeple was lost in a hurrican in 1869.