Letter: Whaling Museum perseveres to achieve goals established a century ago

"From creative programming to virtual offerings to fresh-air escapes, I am lifted by the work of our united creative community. We have each accomplished noteworthy achievements to ensure New Bedford and the SouthCoast remain vibrant and vital."

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I recently explored some of the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s collection of the Old Dartmouth Historical Sketches. These treasures detail the Museum’s earliest days of existence, methodically chronicling the communities’ goals, aspirations and challenges more than a century ago.

Issue No. 5 from March 31, 1904 speaks to the first annual meeting of the Society, now known to all as the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Ellis L. Howland, in his capacity of Secretary and reporting to the Museum’s founders on the opening, stated “Few indeed are the organizations of its class which can point to so much real progress in so short a time, or to a better spirit of enthusiasm as a promise for the future.

The notion of progress on limited time infused with promise of better days resonates deeply.

Aware of profound uncertainty, but driven by a sure spirit of enthusiasm, the Whaling Museum team persevered towards our recent reopening. The historical sketches note that efforts to open exhibits in 1904 were “as rapidly as convenient.” Today, we have been rapid but there is no doubt it has lacked convenience.

In just a few weeks more than a thousand visitors have come back through our doors. Our safe spaces provide ample room to discover and our facility improvements offer assurances.

On July 9th, Mayor Jon Mitchell stood on the Museum’s plaza to celebrate the start to re-open downtown New Bedford’s cultural organizations. It was humbling to be surrounded by my colleagues at peer arts, cultural and historical organizations. We are all in the business of teaching, sharing, inspiring and gathering. Each organization offers guests of our cobblestone streets a chance to be human again.

From creative programming to virtual offerings to fresh-air escapes, I am lifted by the work of our united creative community. We have each accomplished noteworthy achievements to ensure New Bedford and the SouthCoast remain vibrant and vital.

The 1904 report on the museum ends with “If we work together in the best spirit and with a belief in ourselves and in the future, I am sure a museum will be established that every citizen of Old Dartmouth will love and be proud of.” One hundred and sixteen years later, no truer words could still hold up.

Amanda D. McMullen is President/CEO of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.