Tour Overview
North Bedford Historic District consists of lands north of Kempton Street, south of Clasky Park and between County Street and Purchase Street.
North Bedford Historic District
The North Bedford Historic District consists of lands north of Kempton Street, south of Clasky Park and between County Street and Purchase Street. In the early 1800’s, North Bedford was physically separated from the commercial activity of the original town by the holdings of the Kempton family. The upper reaches of the Acushnet River became the shipbuilding center of Old Dartmouth, and the first homeowners who came to North Bedford were the craftsmen who served this industry. Those who built homes in the North Bedford area were likely to be coopers, spar makers, shipwrights or carpenters and to work in the shipbuilding industries on the waterfront north of the Fairhaven-New Bedford bridge.
In the 1830’s, Kempton Street was the only major east-west street in the area north of Bedford Village. It led from the waterfront up the hill and became Smith Mills Road just after it crossed County Street. This important intersection had been part of the original Kempton family holdings since the purchase of Dartmouth from the native Wampanoags in 1652. By the end of the nineteenth century, it had been long known as Kempton’s Corner.
Tour Curated by: Mark Fuller
Tour Produced by: Patricia Daughton
Photo credits:
Steve Gladstone
Spinner Publications
New Bedford Whaling Musuem
New Bedford Free Public Library
Patricia Daughton
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Stops
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Stop 1: 549 County Street, Alfred Kempton House, c, 1850 Italianate style
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Stop 2: 563 County Street, St. Lawrence Church, 1866, English Gothic Style
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Stop 3: 105 Hillman Street, Caleb Bryant, 1833, Cape Cod Style
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Stop 4: 101 Hillman Street, Cornelius Burgess, 1931, Cape Cod Style
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Stop 5: 97 Hillman Street Obadiah Burgess, 1830, Vernacular Greek Revival
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Stop 6: 85 Hillman Street, John Walden, c. 1830, Federal Style
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Stop 7: 139 Maxfield Street, Thomas Durfee, c.1835, Federal Style
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Stop 8: 78 Walden Street, second Thomas Durfee House, c. 1840, Greek Revival style
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Stop 9: 90 Walden Street, Leprelate King House c. 1856, Greek Revival style
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Stop 10: 1061 Pleasant Street, Charles Russel House, (now New Bedford Child and family Services), 1830, Federal style to Greek Revival
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Stop 11: 41 Campbell Street, Lydia and Phoebe Russell, 1845
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Stop 12: 12. 46 Campbell Street, Paul Howland, 1842, Greek Revival style
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Stop 13: 94 state Street, Paul Howland, 1846, Greek Revival Style
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Stop 14: 91 State Street, Paul Howland, 1877, Second Empire Style
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Stop 15: 82 State Street, Alden Little, 1844, Swiss Chalet Style
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Stop 16: 53 Willis Street, John Avery Parker House, c. 1832-34
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Stop 17: . 684 County Street, J. Henry Herring, 1907, Neo-Georgian Style
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Stop 18: 688 County Street, Martin and Annie Bartley, 1907, Neo-Georgian Style
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Stop 19: 692 County Street, Walter Gordon, 1904, Neo-Georgian Style
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Stop 20: Clasky Park was New Bedford’s first city park. New Bedford citizens were conscious of the fact that a “typical” New England town had to have a Town Common, and the park was so designated. Property was first purchased by the city in 1822 and enlarged b
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