Lewis Temple, 1800 - 1954. The Sea Connects Us. Blacksmithing and metal work has always been a much-revered occupation in West Africa and it was one of the few skilled trades open to enslaved men before emancipation. Lewis Temple was a 19th-century blacksmith and innovator who was born in Virginia in 1800 and found his way to the busy whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Whalers often complained of the traditional arrow-shaped whaling harpoons, which slipped out of whales. Temple invented a harpoon with a pivoting head that locked its barb inside the whale. It was very similar to harpoons used by Native Americans and the Inuit to catch fish and seals. His invention revolutionized the whaling industry. Temple never patented his invention and it was quickly copied by other shipsmiths, but his invention brought him enough business to open a larger shop before his death in 1854. The Charles W. Morgan benefited from Temple's toggle-headed harpoon design on its 37 whaling voyages.
Blacksmithing and metal work has always been a much-revered occupation in West Africa and it was one of the few skilled trades open to enslaved men before emancipation. Lewis Temple was a 19th-century blacksmith and innovator who was born in Virginia in 1800 and found his way to the busy whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Whalers often complained of the traditional arrow-shaped whaling harpoons, which slipped out of whales. Temple invented a harpoon with a pivoting head that locked its barb inside the whale. It was very similar to harpoons used by Native Americans and the Inuit to catch fish and seals. His invention revolutionized the whaling industry. Temple never patented his invention and it was quickly copied by other shipsmiths, but his invention brought him enough business to open a larger shop before his death in 1854. The Charles W. Morgan benefited from Temple's toggle-headed harpoon design on its 37 whaling voyages.
Location. 41° 21.707′ N, 71° 57.945′ W. Marker is in Stonington
Click or scan to see this page online
in Southeastern Region, Connecticut. It is in Mystic. It can be reached from the intersection of Greenmanville Avenue (Route 27) and Rossie Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 75 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic CT 06355, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Connecticut Shoreline, in Greater New London, in Mystic and the Eastern Shore, and in the Thames River Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New London County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Training Ship Joseph Conrad (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 267 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 27, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
