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Excerpt from History of Shipbuilding on North River, Plymouth County, Massachusetts: With Genealogies of the Shipbuilders, and Accounts of the Industries Upon Its Tributaries, 1640 to 1872 The name of North River is familiar to the older generations of seafaring men and especially to the older residents of Nantucket, New Bedford, Sag Harbor, Barnstable, Provincetown, Boston and the South Shore. Great Britain was a market for a large num ber of North River built vessels before the Revolution. Prior to 1800 North River was known the world over; vessels were not designated as having been built in Scituate, Marshfield, Hanover or Pembroke, but on North River. The author has unearthed the records of over one thousand and twenty-five vessels built here, and the United States Flag was carried around the world, and among other places, to the following countries for the first time at the mast heads of North River built vessels Great Brit ain, Canada, the Northwest coast, to the Black Sea and China. The largest number of vessels built on the River in a single year that the author has found the records of was thirty in 1801, and the year 1818 shows the next largest number, twenty-four. During the five years, from 1799 to 1804 inclusive, there were built here one hundred and fifteen vessels, an average of twenty-three each year. During the ten years, from 1794 to 1804 inclusive, there were one hundred and seventy-eight vessels built here, or an average of 17 each year. The largest number of vessels found bearing the same name were Betseys and Sallys, fourteen each twelve Marys, eleven Pollys, and ten Neptunes. Times looka little brighter for the shipbuilders in general now; nine or more vessels are on the stocks at Bath, Me. Currier hasjust launched a 1200-t0n four-masted schooner at Newburyport; a similar ves sel has recently been launched at New Haven, Conn., and six or more vessels are building at East Boston. North River may yet see another vessel, and perhaps many more built upon her banks. Several of the old shipbuilders affirm that in build ing small vessels there are no obstacles but what could easily be overcome, if the men had the courage. The copied manuscript of this volume has been deposited with the New England His toric Genealogical Society, Boston. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"Here is no catalogue of ships, reader, nor naval chronicle, but a story of maritime enterprise; of the shipping, seaborne commerce, whaling, and fishing belonging to one American commonwealth," writes S.E. Morison. "I have chosen to catch the story at half flood, when Massachusetts vessels first sought Far-Eastern waters, and to stay with it only so long as wind and sail would serve. For to one who has sailed a clipper ship, even in fancy, all later modes of ocean carriage must seem decadent." This classic work includes the following chapters: I. Coast and Sea II. The Colonial Background (1602-1760) III. Revolution and Reconstruction (1760-1788) IV. Pioneers of the Pacific (1784-1792) V. The Northwest Fur Trade (1788-1812) VI. The Canton Market (1784-1812) VII. The Salem East Indies (1790-1812) VIII. Ships and Seamen (1790-1812) IX. Merchants and Mansions (1782-1812) X. The Sacred Codfish (1784-1812) XI. Newburyport and Nantucket (1790-1812) XII. Federalism and Neutral Trade (1789-1807) XIII. Embargo and War (1807-1815) XIV. The Passing of Salem (1815-1845) XV. The Hub of the Universe (1830-1845) XVI. Ships and Seamen in Southern Seas (1820-1848) XVII. China and the East Indies (1820-1850) XVIII. Mediterranean and Baltic (1820-1850) XIX. Cape Cod and Cape Ann (1820-1860) XX. The Whalers (1815-1860) XXI. Oh! California (1844-1850) XXII. The Clipper Ship (1850-1854) XXIII. Conclusion (1857-1860)

There is no one way to see the North River. Its characteristic meandering cuts a twenty-three-mile path through the South Shore to Massachusetts Bay. Flowing through six towns Pembroke, Hanover, Norwell, Scituate, Marshfield and Hanson the river has played a prominent, if not definitive, role in shaping the identity of the region. John Galluzzo, who leads cultural and natural history tours of the river for Mass Audubon's South Shore Sanctuaries, traces this natural landmark's multifaceted history from multiple vantage points as a shipbuilding center, a highway into the interior and facilitator of trade and a protected wildlife sanctuary today.