Town Landing

Walk along the Town Landing with the river to your right. This land was set off by the town of Dartmouth in 1712, before Westport became a separate town. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the landing (on both sides of the river) was a very busy place, with shipyards, a saw pit, harness shop, blacksmith, cobbler, and a temperance hall.

As you walk along the river, note how the river has been channeled to a narrow stone-lined canal, which aided the busy maritime activity and boat building. Early on, the vessels built here were sloops and schooners for cod fishing; later the emphasis was on whaling. Five whaling vessels were built at the Head between 1805 and 1828. The President, built by Andrew Hicks in 1815, went on 26 whaling voyages. The last whaler built at the Head was the Thomas Winslow. On its 33rd voyage, the ship was lost at sea. The captain and six men drowned.

Note the cuts in the stone walls on either side of the river, allowing for boat launching, and perhaps for horse and buggy crossing at low tide. Across the river is the site of the old fairgrounds, an indication that the Head was the social and commercial center of town well into the 20th century.

READ MORE ABOUT SHIPBUILDING ACTIVITIES AT THE HEAD:

https://wpthistory.org/2008/04/shipbuilding_at/