Carriage Barn Talk: “The Sea Took Its Due: Plymouth and the Perils of Whaling”

In this talk, Dr. Patrick Browne, Executive Director of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, will explore a dramatic but often overlooked chapter in Plymouth’s maritime history. Though overshadowed by Nantucket and New Bedford, Plymouth built a respectable whaling fleet that completed roughly sixty voyages over twenty-five years, bringing home thousands of barrels of whale oil before a sudden run of disasters in the 1840s brought the industry to an end. Browne will examine the rise, achievements, dangers, and decline of Plymouth whaling, an enterprise where ambition, profit, and tragedy met on the open sea.
The Plymouth Antiquarian Society is delighted to introduce a brand-new lecture series, launching this summer. The Society’s beautiful Hedge House Carriage Barn has been opened up as a space for events and gatherings, creating a historic new setting for programs that explore local history, preservation, collections, and culture. For this summer’s first Carriage Barn Lecture Series, the Society is pleased to host four outstanding local historians, archivists, curators, and scholars. All lectures will take place at 4:00 p.m. in the Hedge House Carriage Barn, 126 Water Street, Plymouth.
Tickets on sale now! plymouthantiquarian.org/events/