Capt. Eben Pierce House (ca. 1815)
193 Main Street, Fairhaven
(Private residence, not open to the public)
This house was built in 1815 by Joseph Bates Sr. for his son Nathan Bates.
According to the 1892 New Bedford & Fairhaven Directory, it was the home of Capt. Ebenezer Pierce at the time when Capt. Joshua Slocum was in Fairhaven rebuilding the Spray. Next door neighbor Alice Charry later recalled that Capt. Slocum stayed in the house, living in a second floor bedroom over the kitchen.
The two captains had first met in 1890 when Slocum visited the Harris boat stage at the foot of Washington Street while touring with his boat the Liberdade. Pierce’s nephew Charles Drew was a friend of Slocum’s and may have had a hand in their meeting. Slocum and Pierce hit it off immediately, resulting in Capt. Pierce later inviting Slocum to come to Fairhaven to seek work in the local shipyards. and ultimately giving Slocum his old sloop.
