New London was the “Whaling City” for much of its history. Whaling was an important part of the economy from the early 18th century until the early 20th century. At its height in the 1840s, there were over a dozen whaling firms headquartered in New London.

In the dining room in the Shaw Mansion, there are several wall hangings illustrative of the whaling industry, as well as a whale vertebra, and a figure head from a whaling ship.

Our scrimshaw collection is representative of this folk art by-product of the whaling industry.

The newly-restored New London Whaling Memorial at the Shaw Mansion was re-dedicated on September 7th, 2003. The Whaling Memorial was designed by the Gorham Silver Company and dedicated in 1937 in downtown New London.