Nomination for ERNESTINA (schooner)

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 (3-82) 1B No. 1024-0C 0.10-31-8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries-complete applicable sections 1. Name For NPS use only received DEC 6 1984 date entered JAN 3 1985 historic Schooner Effie M. Morrissey and/or common SchoonerErnestina, (preferred) 2. Location street & number Steamship Whart N/A - not for publication city, town New Bedford state Massachusetts 3.

Classification Category Ownership district X public building(s) private _structure both site Xobject Molic Acquisitio n proces being considered code 025 N/Avicinity of county Bristol code 005 Status X occupied unoccupied work in progress Accessible - yes: restricted yes: unrestricted no Present Use -agriculture commercial X educational entertainment government industrial military X museum park private residence religious scientific sraerportation 4. Owner of Property name Massachusetts Schooner Ernestina Conmission (Cormonwealth of Massachusetts) street & number 13 Centre Street New Bedford city, town N/A vicinity of 5. Location of Legal Description state Massachusetts 02740 courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. United States Coast Guard, Documentation Office Documenation Nimber: 136423 street & number 477 Commercial Street Boston city, town N/A title state Massachusetts 6.

Representation in Existing Surveys has this property been determined eligible? - yes no date federal state county local depository for survey records city, town state 7. Description Schooner Ernestina, New Bedford, MA Condition -X excellent - good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered X altered Check one original site N/Amoved date_N/A Describe the,present and original (if known) physical appearance The Schooner Erestina, formerly the Effie M. Morrissey, is a two-mas.ted wooden sailing ship now berthed in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The ship, designed by George Melville McClain and built in the James and Tarr Shipyard at Essex, Massachusetts, was launched on February 1, 1894. She is now being restored for use as a museum and as a sailing school vessel.

The schooner measures 106 feet on deck; 152 feet overall (including bowsprit and main- boom) ; and 92 feet at the waterline. She is 24 feet, 5 inches wide, draws 13 feet, and has a gross tonnage of 120 tons. When she was built, the Ernestina'smain and foremasts were 76 and 74 feet tall respectively and she carried two topmasts. Her main boom and main gaff were 68 and 35 feet long, and she carried approximately 8,500 square feet of sail. Since 1982, the schooner's masts have been short, about 60 feet tall. New and taller mast timbers have been purchased for the vessel. The masts and topmasts will be installed and the ship's original fisherman rig restored. The Ernestinawas constructed in the traditional plank on frame style. She is made of white oak and yellow pine with treenail pegged tastenings.

Prior to World War II, her hull was painted black, but during the war, when the schooner was commissioned for the U.S. Navy, the entire ship, from mastheads to deck structures to hull, was painted battleship gray. In 1948, however, she was returned to her original coloration. Throughout most of her career (excluding the World War II years) the schooner's bulwarks and deck structures have been painted a combination of white and gray. When delivered to the United States in 1982 the ship's deck structures were painted yellow and green; these colors have since been replaced with white and gray. The Ernestina's exterior and interior are basically unaltered from their original state. The ship carries the 1891 iron Stoddart wheel that was installed in 1894.

The schooner's original deck furniture, hatches (main cabin and two fish hatches), forecastle, scuttle, fife rail, and hardware remain unaltered. In 1948, two small deck houses, one forward of the forward fish hatch and one on the ship's port side aft of the forward shrouds, were dropped on deck. These minor additions are removable and have not affected the essential structure of the ship. The interior layout of the Ernestina is essentially as it was when the ship was lauched. The aft cabin retains its original configuration; fisherman-style finish work, including a simple bunk layout, will be restored in the near future. The cargo hold has undergone some minor changes. An engine was installed in 1927 and accommodations were built to house the scientists and students who accompanied the Erestina on her Arctic voyages.

In 1948, when theship became a CapeVerdean packet, the engine was removed and the acconmodations were taken out to make room for the cargo. Another engine was installed in 1953, but this was removed around 1980; the Emestina cur- rently has no engine. The ship's sand ballast, installed in Cape Verde in 1982, has recently been removed and replaced with stone ballast similar to the type first carried by the schooner. 8. Significance Period prehistoric 1400-1499 1500-1599 1600-1699 1700-1799 X 1800-1899 1900 reas ot Siai archeology-prehistoric niipaniseriCheck anmmustiy plaelin archeology-historic conservation -agriculture economics - architecture education .art engineering x commerce x.

exploration/settlement communications Xindustry invention landscape architecture law literature military music philosophy politics government religion x science sculpture social/ humanitarian x theater -transportation other (specify) Specific dates 1884 Builder

Statement of significance

/Architect Captain William E. Morrisey Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) The Schooner Ernestina possesses integrity of design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. As the oldest surviving Grand Banks fishing schooner, one of the only two arctic exploration sailing vessels still afloat (the other is the Bowdoin, built in 1921 anc now berthed at the Maine Maritime Museum), and the last sailing ship to have brought immigrants to America, the Ernestina is significant for the important role she has played in America's maritime, scientific exploration, social, and naval history. She is significant, too, by virtue of her design, workmanship, and materials, as the sole surving representative of the Fredonia-type Gloucester fishing schooner. The Schooner Ernestina thus meets Criteria A and C of the National Register of Historic Places on the National level.

For more than 300 years, fishing has played a central role in the economic development of Massachusetts. Residents of the coastal towns of Essex County, particularly Gloucester, have relied on fish as a both a staple and a trade commodity since the mid 17th century. The Grand Banks, off Newfoundland, have long proved to be especially fertile fishing grounds. For the first 30 years of her existence the nominated schooner, plying the waters of the Grand Banks, played a part in sustaining the lives of Gloucester fishermen. Originally, christened the Effie M. Morrissey after builder Captain William E. Morrissey's daughter, the wooden schooner was launched at the James and Tarr Shipyard of Essex, Massachusetts, on February 1, 1884.

For the next 30 years, the 106-foot vessel fished the Grand Banks for cod, haddock, herring, and mackered, bringing record catches into Gloucester, Boston, and ports in Maine and Nova Scotia. The Ernestina earned a reputation as a particularly fast and lucky schooner. In 1912, a ballad, , "The Log of the Record Run," recounted the vessel's notorious fishing trip from Portland to Yarmouth. On that voyage, she logged 200 miles in 20 hours, at times reaching speeds of 16 knots. During that trip, the Ernistina carried her foresail only for the last eight hours. In the mid 1920's, the heyday of the small fishing schooner drew to a close. Larger vessels were practical for fishing. Thus, in 1926, the Ernestina was sold to Captain Bob Bartlett, a seasoned explorer of Arctic waters based in New York.

Bartlett had skippered Admiral Robert Peary's ship, the Roosevelt, on a number of polar expeditions. Over the next 15 years, Bartlett took numerous scientists and students to the Arctic, and hundreds of experiments and studies were carried out from the schooner's decks, from mapping Greenland and testing ocean currents to taking samples of Arctic plant and animal life and documenting Eskimo lifestyles. Sponsors for the expeditions included the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History, whose collections retain many of the specimens gathered by the schooner's crew. In the 1930s, Bartlett and his ship were featured often in newsreels and magazine articles.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References (See continuation sheet) 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated propertyN/A Quadrangle name New Bedford North, MA UT M References A 19/ L3|3,99,8,9 Zone Easting 14/6|110|6810 Northing E G Quadrangle scale 1:25,000 LuLu LILILLL Northing LiliL LILILI HLL Verbal boundary description and justification The nomination consists of the Schooner Ernestina Structure. List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries N/A state code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By name/title organization Betsy Friedberg, Preservation Planner, with Julia Brotherton, Assistant Planner/Educational Coordinator, Massachusetts Schooner Ernestina Commission Massachusetts Historical Commission date August 1984 294 Washington Street (617) 727-8470 street & number telephone city or town Boston state Massachusetts 12.

State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: X national x state x local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. State Historic Preservation Officer signature Valerie A. Talmage State Historic Preservation Officer Valerie A. Talmage title date Nvemser 16,1984 For NPS use only I hereby certify that this property is included in the National Register loresßyen fi Kkoepe o ina aionai raer Attest: Chief of Registration Entered in the Natiqpal: Begtsten date 1-3-85 date U.S.

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1983 0 - 419-311 NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Schooner Ernestina Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only recelved date entered 7 & 8 1 Page The forecastle has been somewhat altered: the galley( usually located in the forecastle fishing schooners) was moved to the forward deck house in 1948. The present forecastle contains eight bunks, laid out in the traditional manner; two bunks were removed in 1980 to make more storage room in the forepeak. Restoration plans include retuming the galley to its original position, replacing the two bunks, and restoring original finish work.

Because changes to the Emestina over time have been largely superficial, the ongoing preservation work is cosmetic rather than structural. When complete, the Ernestina will be restored to her original appearance. 8. Significance (Continued) During World War II, the Ernestina, still under the conmand of Captain Bartlett, served as an Arctic supply and survey ship for the United States Navy. She serviced U.S. airbases in the Arctic and conveyed supplies to Allies in the Soviet port of Murmansk. In 1948, after Bartlett's death, the schooner was bought by Henrique Mendes and renamed the Emestina. Mendes, a native of the Cape Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa, began carrying passengers and cargo between the islands and the United States.

For and oaego botien the fblanse the next sixteen years, the Emestina brought thousands of Cape Verdean immigrants to the United States and tons of American goods to Cape Verde. By 1965, she was both the last and the longest-lived sailing packet covering this route, as well as theonly sailing vessel still bringing immigrants to America. Whenmore modern and swift steam vessels became available for transAtlantic travel, the Emestina's popularity as a long-distance transport declined. The Cape Verdean government, which had acquired the Emestina, transferred her to short inter-island trade routes. In 1982, she was officially returned to the United States as a gift of the people of Cape Verde.

The Cormonwealth of Massachusetts appointed a five-person Schooner Ernestina Conmission, which designated New Bedford as the ship's home port and stipulated that she be kept actively sailing as an educational vessel. In addition to her historical significance, the Schooner Emestina is architecturally significant as the sole surviving representative of the Fredonia-model schooner. Nautical authority Howard I. Chappelle states that this appellation refers to "the general hull form of all schooners having the same approximate profile -- clipper elliptical transom, deep draft, and fine sharp lines -- as the Schooner Fredonia, a swift and stable schooner designed by Edward Burgess in 1889. The Commission plans to fully restore the Erestina to museum-quality condition.

The ship will also be outfitted to conform with United States Coast Guard regulations in order to operate as a sailing school vessel in ocean and coastal service. 1985 NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Schooner Ernestina Item number 9 OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp. 10-31-84 For NPS use only received date entered Page 1 Bartlett, Robert A., Sails Over Ice. New York: Charles Scribner, 1934. Bartlett, Robert A., "Servicing Arctic Airbases ! National Geographic Magazine Vol. 89, 1946, pp. 612-616. Chapelle, Howard I., The American Fishing Schooners, 1825-1935. New York: W.W. Norton, 1973. Forbes, Alexander, Quest for a Northern Air Route. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U. Press, 1951. Grenn, Fitzhugh, Bob Bartlett, Master Mariner. New York: G.P. Putnam's, 1929.

Horwood, Harold, Bartlett, The Great Explorer. New York: Doubleday, 1977. Houston, Laura, and Michael Platzer, ERNESTINA/EFFIE M. MORRISSEY: Commemorative Edition. Rye, N.Y: Rye Printing Co., 1982. Putnam, George Palmer, Mariner of the North. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1947. Sarnoff, Paul, Ice Pilot Bob Bartlett. New York: J. Messner, 1966. Sarnoff, Paul, "Whatever Happened to the MORRISSEY?" Yankee, September 1966, pp. 72-79 Thomas Gordon, Fast and Able: Life Stories of Great Gloucester Fishing Vessels. Gloucester: Gloucester 350th Anniversary Celebration, Inc., 1973. Tod, Giles, The Last Sail Down East. Barre, Mass.: Barre Publishers, 1965. Wallace, Frederick William, "Life on the Grand Banks" National Geographic Magazine, vol. 40, No. 1, July 1921, pp. 1-28. See Also ex-EFFIE M.

MORRISSEY, Resource Bibliography-Books, Periodicals, Newspapers, Unpublished Materials. Rye, New York: The Rye Historical Society, 1983. WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Ernestina (schooner) Bristol County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: - sample request DEC 6 1984 Working No.. Fed. Reg. Date: 217 Date Due: 3/85--1/20/85- Action: LACCEPT 1-3-8$ Entered in the _RETURN_ National _REJECT- legte Agency: - edera appeal NR decision Recom./Criteria. Reviewer Discipline. Date _see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: - _technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4.

Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes -no 7. Description Condition -excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one unaltered J altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site J moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10.

Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to - Signed - Date - Phone: Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Property Name: Schooner ERNESTINA Street Address: Steamship Wharf Community: New Bedford, MA Photog.++Date: Herman Spooner 18948 Loc. of Neg: Cape Ann Historical Association, Gordon Thomas Coll. Photograph Number 1 of 5 MORRISSEY desrdäptian osaYfevstarboard side Dvnamitino our wav to freedom.

Property Name: Schooner ERNESTINA Street Address: Steamship Wharf Community: New Bedford, MA Photog.t Date: Robert Bartlett 1932 Loc. of Neg: unkhown Photograph Number 2 of 5 Descrintion of View: Dynamiting Arctic ice to free the MORRISSEY MESTINA @ o ã Property Name: Schooner ERNESTINA Street Address: Steamship Wharf Community: New Bedford; MA Photog.+ Date: John Kochiss, 1956 Location of negative: Schooner ERNESTINA office, New Bedford Photograph number 3 of 5 Description of view: starboard bow Property Name: Schooner ERNESTINA Street Address: Steamship Wharf Community: New Bedford, MA Photog.+ Date: Michael Platzer 1983 Loc. of Neg: Sch. ERNESTINA office Photograph number 4 of 5 Description of View: port side, under full sail PUÙ THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT STATE HOUSE - BOSTON 02133 SLA MIBEATATO OV1E MICHAEL S.

DUKAKIS GOVERNOR 11 May 1984 RECEIVED MAY 1 6 1984 MASS. HIST. ww.avl Michael1J. Connolly 294 aghusnttsn sstert Historical Commissior Boston/ Mass. Doar eotebelecdadoriy behalf of the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, partiqularly those from coastal and maritime communities, I join with the Ernestina Commission and the National Friends of the Ernestina in recommending the Schooner Ernestina for inclusion in our historic registries. As you can see from the brief history which is enclosed herewith, the Ernestina has a rich and proud history as a fishing schooner, bringing an Arctic explorer, and a transatlantic sailing packet immigrants to American shores.

The Commonwealth, working in conjunction with the Ernestina Commission and the Friends of the Ernestina have extensive plans for the vessels' proper care and utilization, but these efforts would be easier and the vesel would be assured of its proper place in history if at this juncture you would consider her for inclusion amongst our nation's and our Commonwealth's historic treasures. I thank you for you consideration and assume that your staff will be working with the Commission and the Friends to assure that the appropriate documentation and information is provided. Thank you. sihcezely yours, hiphelelhon 60 RECEIVED AUG - 6 1984J 1204 Purchase Street MASS. HIST, COMM. City Hall Annex New Bedford, Massachusetts 02740 (617) 999-2931 August 1, 1984 City of New Bedford HISTORICAL COMMISSION Ms. Patricia Weslowski Historic Preservation Officer MASS.

HISTORICAL COMMISSION 294 Washington St. Boston, MA 02108 Dear Ms. Weslowski: on behalt ot the New Beatora Historical Commission, 1 wish to submit to the Massachusetts Historical Commission our collective endorsement of the historic schooner Effie N. Morrissey, now known as the Schooner Ernestina, which is currently being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. I sincerely hope that your review and recommendation to the United States Department of the Interior will be as enthusiastic and supportive as we are here in New Bedford, regarding the Schooner Ernestina project. We feel we are fortunate indeed to have the opportunity to work towards the restoration of this historic vessel with particular efforts being directed towards interpretative demonstrations of her famous past.

We feel that this vessel represents the heritage of generations and should be preserved as a tribute to the limits of human perseverance. Again we appreciate the opportunity to echo local sentiments and forward to you a strong and sincere endorsement of the Schooner Ernestina and hope that she may soon be included upon the National Register of Historic Sincerely, Aa. A Sraty DAVID A. KENNEDY Chairman N.B.Historical Commission mW enclosure 52 LUCEM DIFFUNDO Mayor Brian J.Lawler City Hall, New Bedford, MA 02740 617/999-2931 September 10, 1984 REOEWED SEP 1 11984. Ms. Valerie A. Talmage Executive Director Deputy State Historic Preservation OfficeMASS. HIST, COMM, 3 Massachusetts Historical Commission 294 Washington Street Boston, MA Dear Ms.

Talmage: It is my pleasure to write in support of the Schooner "Ernestina" and efforts to include this vessel in the National Register of Historic Places. I encourage the Massachusetts Historical Commission to nominate the "Ernestina" for inclusion in the National Register. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to comment on this matter. Very truly, Brau Apul Brian J. av Mayor BJL/mao CC: David A. Kennedy Historical Commission Captain Daniel Mooreland 13 Centre Street New Bedford, MA 02740