Fairhaven Protecting Society ~ Photo Friday

This building was photographed on Washington Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts

The Fairhaven Protecting Society was organized in 1887 as an association of volunteers.  They worked along side the fire department by going into buildings after the firefighters left, to try to save household goods. The Fairhaven Protecting Society moved into this little white building in 1894.  It was previously the town jail!

Today this historic building houses an old fire engine that gives rides to children on the town's "Harvest Fun Day".  It is maintained by the Fairhaven Historical Commission.


History of the Fairhaven Fire Department  http://www.fairhavenfire.org/history.html

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Fairhaven Protecting Society ~ Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 19, 2016, (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/02/fairhaven-protecting-society-photo.html: accessed [access date]).

Japanese American Relations fostered in Fairhaven, Massachusetts?

While we were in Fairhaven, Massachusetts for a tour of the Mayflower II in drydock, we visited the Northeast Maritime Institute.  I didn't know that this building was previously a Unitarian Church with a very interesting history until I saw these granite markers outside of the building...

THIS BUILDING WAS THE 

ORIGINAL UNITARIAN CHURCH

WHERE THE WHITFIELDS AND

MANJIRO NAKAHAMA ATTENDED

SERVICES IN THE 1840'S

CAPTAIN WILLIAM H. WHITFIELD

NOVEMBER 11, 1804

FEBRUARY 14, 1886

ON JUNE 27, 1841, CAPTAIN WILLIAM

WHITEFIELD'S CREW OF THE 

WHALING SHIP JOHN HOWLAND

RESCUED FIVE SHIPWRECKED JAPANESE

FISHERMEN ON AN UNINHABITED

VOLCANIC ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC

OCEAN.  THIS ENCOUNTER WAS THE

BEGINNING OF THE FIRST FRIENDLY

CONTACT BETWEEN THE JAPANESE

AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

WHALE SHIP

JOHN HOWLAND

"ONLY THOSE WHO RISK GOING

TOO FAR WILL EVER KNOW HOW

FAR THAT THEY CAN GO"

MANJIRO NAKAHAMA WAS THE FIRST

JAPANESE TO LIVE IN AMERICA.

HE WAS EDUCATED IN FAIRHAVEN

MASSACHUSETTS AND

PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN FOSTERING THE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JAPAN AND

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY 

ENLIGHTENING THE JAPANESE OFFICIALS

ABOUT WESTERN CULTURE, TECHNOLOGY,

AND DEMOCRACY PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL

OF COMMODORE MATTHEW PERRY ON

HIS HISTORIC MISSION THAT ADVANCED

THE SIGNING OF THE U. S.- JAPAN TREATY

OF 1854.

I loved finding a hidden bit of American history here outside of this historic church.  I know that at the time of these events, Japan was a closed country, and Manjiro would have risked death returning.  During this period of isolation leaving Japan was punishable by death.  Instead he became educated, participated in the Gold Rush as a '49er, and eventually returned home.  He was recieved with great honor and worked with the ambassadors to the United States.  In the 1870s he studied military science in Europe and became a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University.  He died in 1898 at age 71.

You can read more about Manjiro Nakahama and his honorable career rising from a simple fisherman to a diplomat for the Japanese Emperor at this Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakahama_Manjir%C5%8D

The Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society
11 Cherry Street
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
phone 508-858-5303
website http://whitfield-manjiro.org/

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Touring Mayflower II in Drydock

The Mayflower II undergoing repairs at the
Fairhaven, Massachusetts shipyard

Every winter the Mayflower II is towed from her usual berth in Plymouth Harbor to its winter quarters in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.  She is inspected every winter by the Coast Guard.  This year the annual inspection including looking under the copper sheathing.  This was installed when the ship was built in England in 1957, to protect against ice damage.  Over the years fresh water (rain and weather) had gotten behind the copper sheathing and caused extensive rot and damage to the planking and beams.

Instead of just patching up the ship, it was decided the time was ripe for a extensive emergency renovation to take place over the winter.  Usually wooden ships built around 1620 would have a life of about 20 or 25 years. In 1957 the Mayflower II was built as close as possible to what a ship of this era would have been originally designed.  Now she is over 55 years old, and this extensive repair work is not unusual at all to keep her seaworthy.   Even the USS Constitution, which now over 200 years old, has had about 90% of the original parts replaced.  Captain Peter Arenstam of the Mayflower II estimates that about 70% of his ship is still original to 1957.

A craftsman uses his shoulder to guide in a new section of a rib on the side
of the Mayflower II.  The hand craftsmanship of the repairs reminded me
of what the original shipbuilders must have been doing in the early 17th century.

Since this extensive repair work was not scheduled, or previously funded, the Plimoth Plantation museum is scrambling to find the proper types of materials and donations to finish this project.  Usually the ship is back in Plymouth Harbor every year during March, but it is now unknown exactly when the Mayflower II will return.  They are hoping for May, or at least June to have her back in the water, fully rigged and ready for the summer tourists.

Captain Arenstam leads the tour of the Mayflower II in drydock

A special tour of the Mayflower II was arranged for 29 May 2013 for members of the Plimoth Plantation museum, and limited to only a dozen lucky guests.  It was led by museum staff and Captain Arenstam and his crew.  Not only did we see the marine workshop at the museum, but we got to see the Mayflower II in drydock at the Fairhaven shipyard.  The Captain and staff carefully outlined the ship repairs, plans for the future, and the repair process going on in Fairhaven. 

A special member of the tour was Joseph Meany, who was the original cabin boy on the
Mayflower II's voyage from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1957.
Can you find him in the photo to the left?*

The Mayflower II is a symbolic image for all Americans and history buffs.  It doesn’t matter whether your ancestors arrived on the original Mayflower or on some other ship, or even by plane or train.  The idea of traveling a long distance from some distant land to a new home in North America is symbolized by this little ship.  She is beloved by Plymouth residents, school children from all over New England, tourists and travelers from all over the world.   I wish the Mayflower II well and hope to see her back in Plymouth as soon as possible.

Vincent and Captain Peter Arenstam of the Mayflower II

In 2020 the Plimoth Plantation, town of Plymouth, state of Massachusetts, the General Society of Mayflower  Descendants, the Wampanoag Nation and a plethora of other organizations and groups will be celebrating the 400th anniversary of the voyage the original Mayflower took in 1620, bringing the first permanent settlers to Plymouth.  Having the Mayflower II ship shape by 2020 is a major goal for everyone!

To donate to the repair of the Mayflower II please see this webpage:
http://www.plimoth.org/SOS

The search is on for very, very large white oak trees to supply the planking and beams for the Mayflower II repairs.  Do you know any large white oak trees?  Read this post:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-plea-from-plimoth-plantation-museum.html

*Joe Meany is the young man sitting on the deck of the Mayflower II with the "cape" on his shoulders. (Second to the right, seated in the front row)  He had his graduation ceremony on board the Mayflower II at sea on June 2, 1957, perrformed by the crew.  You can read about that here:
http://www.plimoth.org/what-see-do/mayflower-ii/journey-mayflower/crew-journals/joe-meany%E2%80%99s-graduation-day

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

A Plea from the Plimoth Plantation Museum

Mayflower II in drydock in Fairhaven, Massachusetts

(as seen on the Plimoth Plantation Facebook Page, posted 24 April 2013)

“Wood you please help us?

Got a spare White Oak tree you'd like to make history with?

Plimoth Plantation needs it to repair Mayflower II! 

Snap a photo and share it to our Facebook wall and help us keep history afloat!

White Oak Needed for Mayflower II
http://www.plimoth.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg-images/Mayflower%20_II_White%20Oak_Appeal.pdf “

Captain Peter Arenstam, from the Mayflower II, shows a section of white oak
being used to make planking for repairs on the side of the ship

The Mayflower II is in drydock, and she needs some very, very large white oak trees.  The search is currently on for trees about two to three feet in diameter and 10 to 20 feet long to make beams and planking for the Mayflower II.  Every winter she is inspected by the Coast Guard, but this year they peeked under her copper sheathing and found extensive rot.  Lots of rot- and damage done over time due to weather, age and the natural aging of her wooden structure.

Captain Peter Arenstam at the marine workshop at Plimoth Plantation
shows a rotten piece of the Mayflower II removed during repair work this winter

A close up view of the side of Mayflower II
where planking is being replaced with new white oak

The plan is to have the beloved Mayflower II shipshape and back at her berth in Plymouth Harbor by sometime this May.  In the meantime, the loss of the ship means an empty harbor and loss of revenue not only for Plimoth Plantation, who manages the Mayflower II, but also for local businesses, hotels and restaurants.  Vacations and field trips are being cancelled since the tourists won’t be able to see Mayflower II.  The sooner she is back in port, the better!

The Facebook page for Plimoth https://www.facebook.com/PlimothPlantation1620?fref=ts

Plimoth Plantation www.plimoth.org

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Copyright 2013 Heather Wilkinson Rojo