Press Release
Henry H. Rogers Walking Tour
Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 10:00 a.m. beginning of June through end of September. Tours begin outside the Town Hall, 40 Center Street, Fairhaven. WEATHER PERMITTING
Tour size limited to 25 people. Wearing face coverings for public safety is optional.
This shortened “pandemic-friendly” walk outlines the life of Standard Oil Co. executive Henry H. Rogers and the magnificent public buildings that he donated to his hometown. You’ll stop at several “off-the-sidewalk” spots in the village area where one of the nation’s most powerful businessmen grew up while you learn about his boyhood, rise to riches, and the gifts he bestowed on Fairhaven. The tour will not go inside any buildings this season. It is held weather permitting. Free.
Tuesday tours guided by Bob Foster. Thursday tours guided by Chris Richard.
For more information, call or email the Office of Tourism, 508-979-4085, FairhavenTours@fairhaven-ma.gov.
Pirates & Privateers Presentation
Friday mornings, 10:00 a.m., June through September, Fort Phoenix, south end of Fort St., Fairhaven, MA. Presentations take place near the cannons. WEATHER PERMITTING
Wearing face coverings for public safety is optional. Social distancing is suggested.
Is there really pirate treasure buried by Captain Kidd on Sconticut Neck? Why might you become a privateer instead of joining the Navy? What’s the deal with the parrot on the shoulder?
Hear tales of pirates, Revolutionary War era privateers, and historical Fort Phoenix, presented by Greybeard, an 18th century gunner from the privateer sloop Broome, Abigail Black, a ship’s doctor who grows herbal remedies in her village garden when she’s not at sea, and Caleb the Powder Monkey, a lad who knows how to load and fire a cannon.
Learn which pirate lore is really just myth based on fiction and what stories are true. (On Cape Cod, many people thought the tale of “Black Sam” Bellamy’s wrecked ship full of treasure was just a legend until the ship was discovered in 1984 just 500 feet off the shore of Wellfleet.) Find out the difference between pirates and “legal” privateers. Do you know when you “talk like a pirate” you’re just copying an actor from a 1950s Disney movie? Would you like to know more about treasure maps and walking the plank?
The pirate lore is enhanced by true stories of privateering in and around Buzzards Bay during the American Revolution. During the war, privateer vessels such as the Broome, Sally, Black Snake, Friendship, and Hornet, manned with local sailors, aided the rebellion against the Crown by capturing enemy ships in far greater numbers than the Continental Navy did. One of the most celebrated actions was the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War in May 1775, led by captains Nathaniel Pope and Daniel Egery. Eventually the local wharves were full of vessels captured by privateers. Such actions eventually provoked the British raid on our harbor in September of 1778.
These stories are told in detail during the Friday morning program.
This fun interactive presentation includes a demonstration firing of a black powder swivel cannon, a demonstration of early medical practices and more. While being fun and informative for adults, it is also appropriate for children, particularly age seven and up.
For more information, call 508-979-4085 or email FairhavenTours@fairhaven-ma.gov.
For more information on other programs by the Fairhaven Office of Tourism, visit https://fairhaventours.com
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