1893 Map of Fairhaven

About this map

New Bedford and the surrounding coastal towns of Fairhaven and Mattapoisett are depicted here as they appeared in the late 19th century, during a period when the maritime economy remained central to the region. The map reveals the intricate network of the New Bedford Branch of Old Colony Railroad and the Fairhaven Branch of Old Colony Railroad, which connected the harbors to inland industrial centers. Navigational aids like Neds Point Light, Clark Point Light, and the Dumpling Rock Light House stand as sentinels along Buzzards Bay. Inland, the landscape is a mix of heavy swamps such as Great Cedar Swamp and Haskell Swamp, alongside early industrial sites like Turners Mills. Small railway outposts such as Braleys Station and Acushnet Station indicate the distribution of rural commerce before the era of modern highways.