Richard MacLeod
The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project
The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project is an ongoing oral history project documenting the history and culture of the commercial fishing industry and other port trades. The project was begun in 2004 in conjunction with the Working Waterfront Festival, an annual, education celebration of commercial fishing culture which takes place in New Bedford, MA. Interviewees have included a wide range of individuals connected to the commercial fishing industry and/or other aspects of the port through work or familial ties. While the majority of interviewees are from the port of New Bedford, the project has also documented numerous individuals from other ports around the country. Folklorist and Festival Director Laura Orleans and Community Scholar/Associate Director Kirsten Bendiksen are Project Leaders. The original recordings reside at the National Council for the Traditional Arts in Maryland with listening copies housed at the Festival's New Bedford office.
Azure Dee Westwood
Richard MacLeod is a retired fisherman who was born in Boston and later moved to Nova Scotia. In 1936, at the age of thirteen, he made his first voyage on a fishing trip on a three-masted sailing schooner called the A.W. Chism. In 1939, he moved to Gloucester and fished there for many years before moving to New Bedford in 1952. He fished out of New Bedford on various boats, including the Adventurer and Smylin. He later became the captain of the Mystic Light and eventually retired in 1983. After retirement, he started knitting lobster pot heads.
Scope and Content Note:
The interview captures Richard’s experiences as a fisherman and the importance of having experienced crew members. He also mentions his time in Nova Scotia, his accent, and shares a story about his early fishing days. He describes his family background and experiences growing up. Growing up, he spent time on his grandparents’ family farm in Nova Scotia. He shares his fishing experiences and boats he worked on, including the Adventurer, Smylin, and Mystic Light. He discusses the old-time fishermen who helped him throughout his career but have since passed away and shares many stories and anecdotes about fellow fishermen with different backgrounds. Richard mentions various fishing locations such as Little Saint Lawrence in Newfoundland and Grand Bank. Finally, he tells a story about an impressive cook on board his ship named Sam Jennings who fed 29 men three meals a day and baked bread daily.
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