New England Sketch Book | Ferry Wharf Whaler

Given the historical significance of New England Sketch Book's home in Newburyport, we decided to renew awareness on Ferry Wharf and its integral importance to the maritime & shipbuilding trades of the city. As our way to pay homage, we designed this focused title tee for Ferry Wharf, complete with our beloved Whaler Jack.

In colonial times, a ferry ran passengers, livestock and cargo across the Merrimack from the riverside area that evolved into the formal Ferry Wharf location and important colonial thoroughfare.  Ferry Wharf along with Market Square and the other wharves along the Central Waterfront, were places of vibrant, active trade. Between 1812 -1820 a continuous line of eight stores to the end Ferry Wharf and was called Merchant’s Row. All of the stores that comprised Merchant's Row were demolished except ours, that is now the home of New England Sketch Book and carries the address 1R Water St.

Newburyport had a large shipbuilding industry and once the hull of a sailing vessel was completed at one of the shipyards upriver, it was launched and towed to a rigger's wharf to be fitted out - often to Ferry Wharf with its varied goods and supplies made available from the shops on Merchant's Row.

Shipbuilding ebbed after the American Revolution but was revitalized in the mid 1840s with the rapid expansion of the local textile industry and it encouraged the construction of more and larger vessels, along with the discovery of gold in California, as easterners caught the gold rush fever and ships were needed to take people and supplies to the West Coast.

By 1900, due to dramatic changes in area's economy, The Central Waterfront and Market Square gradually deteriorated. As a consequence, and prior to the focused effort by city and community planners to restore downtown Newburyport, the city demolished a great deal of buildings along the Central Waterfront, including the majority of Merchant's Row.

We at New England Sketch Book are honored to be stewards of this historically important Ferry Wharf & Merchant's Row location and to continue on its amazing retail legacy.