The Ash Street Jail, housing inmates from Bristol County,
is located in New Bedford. Opening in 1829, it is the oldest
continuously operating jail in the United States.

Krista DelleFemine › Visual Culture
I prefer being a girl.                                I'm so grateful I'm not a man.

no one root for the 49s;     0%
Krista Delle Femine liked Visual Culture  
1                                       |  million people agree in a million minutes;
culture is born of the cacophony
of female millipedes doing the work of nature;
they register the ghosts that enter Sheol,
I'm w/ u;               |                     we have our tickets & passports,
& invitations to the whirling dervish party;
My, oh, my!                            in one room she's showing b/w I Dream
                                                    of Jeannie episodes
showing ancient ancient
California Beach Dreams of ancient ancient Baghdad

Krista DelleFemine › New Bedford Money
The AIDS capital of America;                     That was New Bedford's
standout characteristic a couple years back.
Nearly wiped off the map by ***

Before the 17th century, the Wampanoag,
who had settlements throughout southeastern Massachusetts
& Rhode Island, including Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket,
were the only inhabitants of the lands along the Acushnet River.
Their population is believed to have been about 12,000;
While exploring New England, Bartholomew
Gosnold landed on Cuttyhunk Island on May 15, 1602;
From there, he explored Cape Cod & the neighboring areas,
including the site of present-day New Bedford. However,
rather than settle the area, he returned to England at the request of his crew;

Europeans first settled New Bedford in 1652.
English Plymouth Colony settlers purchased the land
from chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe.
Whether the transfer of the land was legitimately
done has been the subject of intense controversy.
Like other native tribes, the Wampanoags
did not share the settlers' concepts of private property.
The tribe may have believed they were granting usage rights
to the land, not giving it up permanently;

The settlers used the land to build the colonial town
of Old Dartmouth (which encompassed not only present-day
Dartmouth, but also present-day New Bedford, Acushnet,
Fairhaven, and Westport).     A section of Old Dartmouth
near the west bank of the Acushnet River,
originally called Bedford Village,                    was officially incorporated
as the town of New Bedford in 1787
              after the American Revolutionary War.
The name was suggested by the Russell family,
who were prominent citizens of the community.
The Dukes of Bedford, a leading English aristocratic house,
also bore the surname Russell; Bedford, Massachusetts
having already been incorporated by 1787;            hence "New" Bedford;

The late-18th century was a time of growth for the town.
New Bedford's first newspaper,                              The Medley
also known
as the New Bedford Marine Journal,    was founded in 1792;
On June 12, 1792, the town set up its first post office.
William Tobey was its first postmaster.             The construction of a bridge; originally a toll bridge,
between New Bedford & present-day Fairhaven in 1796 also spurred growth; Fairhaven separated from New Bedford in 1812;
forming an independent town that included
                                              present-day Fairhaven & present-day Acushnet;

In 1847 the town of New Bedford officially became a city;
Abraham Hathaway Howland was elected the first mayor;
At approximately the same time,
New Bedford began to supplant
Nantucket as the nation's preeminent whaling port,
thanks to its deeper harbor & location on the mainland.
Whaling dominated the economy of the city for much of the century;
Many families of the city were involved
                                         |                      ­         as the officers & crews of ships