August 24th, 2006

The Westport Historical Society hosted an impressive opening program at Howland Hall, United Methodist Church, on the whaling business in North America, given by Richard C. Kugler, director emeritus of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. A capacity audience of over 120 people came to hear the lecture that was highlighted with a colorful slideshow presentation. The talk paved the way for the opening at the Bell Schoolhouse of the Society's new exhibition, "A Perilous Life" - Westport Whaling in the 19th century. 

Mr. Kugler spoke of the Kate Cory and the significance of this well-known whaler to Westport. Interestingly, Mr. Kugler and friend/attendee Russell Hart are great - grandsons of the builder and contractor, respectively, of the Kate Cory, built in 1856! Westport had 326 whaling voyages between 1775 and 1881. New Bedford had the most with almost 5000. Richard shared with the audience many statistics that painted a picture of the importance of this industry to Westport's way of life for over 100 years. Many whalers and many more men were lost at sea hunting the largest mammals on earth for the precious commodity of whale oil. The exhibition is a testament to those courageous Westport men and women at sea and those at home who funded and risked fame and fortune to hunt the greatest prize of the 19th century!

Want to learn more? Visit  www.whalingmuseum.org

The Exhibition was open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Aug 26 to Monday Aug 28, and Saturday Sept 2 to Monday Sept 4.

The exhibition received hundreds of vistors within the short six day span of its opening. There was a plethora of artifacts from the Society's collection as well as those loaned by desendents of the great Westport whaling families.