Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum: Cultural Landscape Report and Geophysical Survey, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, National Park Service

DHM Design, Contractor; Pressley Associates, Contractor; Hager GeoScience, Contractor; Bryant Associates, Contractor

This Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) documents the history, current condition, and significance of the landscaped grounds of the Rotch‐Jones‐Duff House. The purpose and objectives of this Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) are to: 1. Consolidate multiple primary and secondary source materials into one document, building on similar studies completed for the house and interior collections that will serve as a useful reference for the museum and its NPS partner; 2. Document and interpret the evolution of the property as a foundation for the development of treatment (design) recommendations; 3. Provide the Rotch‐Jones‐Duff House &Garden Museum with a useful document that will aid in future planning and long‐term management of the property; and 4. Support the stewardship and partnership goals of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The CLR methodology developed by the National Park Service is the primary guide for documenting and determining the treatment and use of a historic landscape, and provides a flexible and adaptable approach for the Rotch‐Jones‐Duff House property. A CLR typically analyzes a landscape’s geographic setting, development and evolution, materials, construction techniques, and use in all periods, including those deemed not significant. This CLR includes the components typically contained in Part I: Site History, Existing Conditions, and Analysis and Evaluation. This CLR for The Rotch‐Jones‐Duff House &Garden Museum includes a chronological site history documenting how the property changed over time as each of the three (3) families took residence, concluding with its transition from private residence into a historic house museum open to the public. Period plans from the Jones and Duff eras illustrate the configuration of the garden at the end of each family’s ownership. The existing conditions chapter documents the location, appearance and condition of extant cultural landscape features, including the property’s spatial organization, landscape characteristics, and archaeological resources. Anew site topographic and boundary survey provides the base map on which the existing landscape features are drawn. The historic analysis chapter addresses the integrity and significance of the landscape, based on its period(s) of significance and expanding on the National Register criteria presented in the National Historic Landmark nomination form,and places the historic property in the context of the development of New Bedford during the nineteenth century. While this CLR does not include Part 2: Landscape Treatment Recommendations and Treatment Plan, the background information contained in the report forms the baseline from which treatment recommendations can be developed. Historical research for the CLR utilized both primary and secondary sources related to the Rotch‐Jones‐Duff property itself. Because source material specific to the landscape is very limited,selected records related to key historic properties nearby, that were owned and developed by other family members, were also reviewed to see if they could shed any additional light on the development of the Rotch‐Jones‐Duff gardens.The primary repository containing information germane to this CLR is the Rotch‐Jones‐Duff House & Garden Museum Archives, housed in the mansion. Additionally, the records of the New Bedford Horticultural Society at the New Bedford Free Public Library and the Special Collections and records of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society Collection at the New Bedford Whaling Museum Library both provided valuable information regarding the Rotch and Jones families’ periods of ownership, as well as historic context.

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum: Cultural Landscape Report and Geophysical Survey, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, National Park Service

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