New Bedford in Bristol County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Captain Paul Cuffe
— New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park —
Photographed By Byron Hooks, August 31, 2014
1. Captain Paul Cuffe Marker
Inscription.
Captain Paul Cuffe. . Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) was a sea captain, merchant, philanthropist, community leader, civil rights advocate and abolitionist. The son of an African father and Native American mother, Cuffe was born on the island of Cuttyhunk, off the coast of New Bedford. Proficient in mathematics and navigation, he worked his way up to ship owner and Captain. He founded one of the first integrated schools in America in Westport, petitioned the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for voting rights for people of color, and led efforts to resettle African-Americans in Africa. Together with his two sons-in-law, Paul Cuffe operated ’Cuffe and Howards,’ A West Indian import store nearby at the Four Corners ( corner of Union Street and Water Street) in New Bedford., (caption – upper right) , Cuffe’s vessel Traveler is pictured between two Atlantic coastlines, New England’s and Africa’s. This image first appeared with a silhouette of Captain Cuffe in the Liverpool Mercury paper in 1811, and was reprinted in an 1850 Quaker or anti-slavery monthly entitled ’The Non-Slaveholder’.
Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) was a sea captain, merchant, philanthropist, community leader, civil rights advocate and abolitionist. The son of an African father and Native American mother, Cuffe was born on the island of Cuttyhunk, off the coast of New Bedford. Proficient in mathematics and navigation, he worked his way up to ship owner and Captain. He founded one of the first integrated schools in America in Westport, petitioned the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for voting rights for people of color, and led efforts to resettle African-Americans in Africa. Together with his two sons-in-law, Paul Cuffe operated ’Cuffe & Howards,’ A West Indian import store nearby at the Four Corners ( corner of Union Street and Water Street) in New Bedford.
(caption – upper right)
Cuffe’s vessel Traveler is pictured between two Atlantic coastlines, New England’s and Africa’s. This image first appeared with a silhouette of Captain Cuffe in the Liverpool Mercury paper in 1811, and was reprinted in an 1850 Quaker or anti-slavery monthly entitled ’The Non-Slaveholder’.
Location. 41° 38.075′ N, 70° 55.398′ W. Marker is in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in Bristol County. Marker is on Union Street near 1st Street, on the right when traveling west. Located in the Captain Paul Cuffe Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Bedford MA 02740, United States of America. Touch for directions.
View of the marker looking east along Union Street.
Photographed By Byron Hooks, August 31, 2014
6. Captain Paul Cuffe Park
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, July 30, 2015
7. Captain Paul Cuffe Park
View of the construction presently taking place at Captain Paul Cuffe Park.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2014, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 599 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 26, 2014, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 5. submitted on August 3, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 6. submitted on September 26, 2014, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 7. submitted on August 3, 2015, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.