Editing Fairhaven, Massachusetts (section)

===Whaling===
Prior to the second half of the nineteenth century, [[whale oil]] was the primary source of fuel for lighting in the United States. The [[whaling]] industry was an economic mainstay for many [[New England]] coastal communities for over two hundred years. The famous whaling port of [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]] is located across the Acushnet River from Fairhaven. Fairhaven was also a whaling port; in fact, in the year 1838, Fairhaven was the second-largest whaling port in the United States, with 24 vessels sailing for the whaling grounds. The author of ''[[Moby-Dick]]'', [[Herman Melville]], departed from the port of Fairhaven aboard the whaleship ''Acushnet'' in 1841.

However, once New Bedford's predominance in the whaling industry became apparent, Fairhaven's economy evolved into one that supplemented the New Bedford economy rather than competing directly with it. Fairhaven became a town of [[shipbuilding|shipwrights]], [[ship chandler]]s, [[rope]]makers, [[Cooper (profession)|coopers]], and [[sailmaker]]s. It also became a popular location for ship-owners and ship-captains to build their homes and raise their children.[[Image:Twain and rogers 1908.jpg|thumb|Twain and Rogers]]