The Merrill's Wharf Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

encompassing a portion of the waterfront area of

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

. It encompasses two wharves just to the south of State Pier: the Steamboat Pier and the adjacent Coal Packet Pier. Also included is the stone counting house (also known as the Durant Sail Loft) built by Edward Merrill, the last surviving stone waterfront structure from New Bedford's heyday as a whaling center. (It does not include the long pier built by Merrill that is now called Homer's Wharf, which no longer retains historic integrity.) The district was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1977. It is now part of the

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (NBWNHP) is a United States National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is maintained by the National Park Service (NPS). The park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent w ...

, with interpretive signs. The schooner '' Ernestina'', a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

ship owned by the state, is berthed at Steamship Wharf.

References

Historic districts in Bristol County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts {{BristolCountyMA-NRHP-stub

See also

References