Hawaiian Healing Methods and Stone Fleet History at Thursday evening events at National Park

This Thursday evening, August 15, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park offers an entire lineup of entertainment. From 5:00-5:30 PM, Ruth and Abby, the park’s 1850s ladies, will chat about New Bedford’s connections with Hawaii’s traditional healing methods. From 5:30-6:30 PM, hear historian George Ripley talk about New Bedford’s Civil War Stone Fleet. Enjoy music of Central America in the park garden from 6:30-7:15 PM.

These events, like all of this national park’s events, are free of charge. In case of rain, the event will be moved to the 2nd floor of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park’s Corson Building, 33 William Street, downtown New Bedford. Ruth and Abby have received a packet from young Charlie (Ruth’s son) with drawings of plants used in traditional Hawaiian healing.

They will share their news with you from 5:00-5:30 PM in preparation for a visit next month (AHA! night, September 12) with Dr. Ben Tamura, medical officer with Hokulea. The Hokulea, a native people of Hawai’i, have embarked on a seven-year journey in traditional canoes around the world to reacquaint themselves with the traditional ways of navigation and to seek ways to restore the collective soul of the people. “A Voyage to Health” is currently on display in the National Park visitor center through August 24, 2013, and is free and open to the public.

Historian and librarian George Ripley will speak from 5:30-6:30 PM as part of the “New B Under the Sea” series, a campaign focusing on underwater archaeology projects. Mr. Ripley will present “The Stone Fleet”, on the New Bedford whale fleet used to blockade the Confederacy during the Civil War. The Stone Fleet consisted of a fleet of aging ships (mostly whaleships purchased in New Bedford and other New England ports,) loaded with stone, and sailed south during the American Civil War by the Union Navy for use as blockade ships.