IS THAT NAME FAMILIAR?
PROBABLY NOT, BUT AT ONE POINT HIS WEALTH WAS SIMILAR TO BILL GATES’ TODAY.
ANTHONY: ROGERS NEVER FORGOT HIS HOME TOWN, FAIRHAVEN AND IT SHOWS.
>> THOSE WHO NAMED FAIRHAVEN MAY HAVE SOLD IT SHORT.
WITH ITS ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORIC SITES, IT MAY HAVE BEEN GRAND OR GREAT EVEN.
MUCH OF THE HISTORIC LARGESS OF FAIRHAVEN IS DUE TO THE GENEROSITY OF JUST ONE MAN.
WHEN WE THINK OF THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY IN AMERICA WE THINK ABOUT THE ROCKEFELLERS, BUT MUCH OF THE SUCCESS WAS DUE TO A NATIVE SON OF FAIRHAVEN.
HENRY HUTTLESTON ROGERS LEFT HOME AT 21 TO SEEK FORTUNE IN THE OIL FIELDS.
>> HENRY WAS THE SECOND MAN IN CONTROL OF STANDARD OIL.
HE WAS CALLED THE BRAINS OF STANDARD OIL.
DID MORE OF THE WORK, BUT NOT AS RECOGNIZED.
HE WAS WORTH IN HIS DAY MORE THAN BILL GATES IS WORTH TODAY.
REPORTER: ROGERS GAVE BACK TO HIS HOME COMMUNITY, HIRING RENOWNED ARCHITECT BRIGHAM TO RECONSTRUCT AND DESIGN ORNATE TOWN BUILDINGS.
CHRIS RICHARD IS THE DIRECTOR OF TOURISM AND OFFERS FREE TOURS OF TOWN.
>> BRIGHAM CHOSE DIFFERENT EUROPEAN STYLES FOR EACH OF THE BUILDINGS HE DESIGNED.
THE TOWN HALL WAS FRENCH GOTHIC, THE LIBRARY WAS ITALIAN.
THE UNITARIAN CHURCH WAS A GOTHIC CATHEDRAL.
HE MIXED THINGS UP AND GAVE US A VERY EUROPEAN LOOKING SECTION OF TOWN HERE.
REPORTER: THE ELIZABETHAN INFLUENCE HIGH SCHOOL WAS DESCRIBED BY ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST AS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HIGH SCHOOL IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 2017.
MARK TWAIN WAS A FRIEND OF ROGERS AND VISITED OFTEN, SPEAKING AT THE TOWN HALL DEDICATION.
TWAIN AND ROGERS WERE NOT THE ONLY RENOWNED PEOPLE TO SPEND TIME IN FAIRHAVEN.
>> I HAVE A LOT OF PHOTOS OF FRANKLIN.
REPORTER: FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT, FDR, WHOSE GREAT-GRANDFATHER BUILT THE DELANO HOUSE HERE.
>> THEY CALLED IT THEIR HOMESTEAD.
THE FAMILY WOULD CONVERGE HERE IN THE SUMMERTIME TO BE CLOSE TO THE OCEAN.
REPORTER: FRANKLIN BROKE NEWS OF HIS ENGAGEMENT TO ELEANOR HERE AND VISITED DURING HIS YEARS AT HARVARD AND THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE AND PRESIDENCY.
IT REMAINED IN THE DELANO FAMILY UNTIL THE 1940’S.
>> THE PROMENADE MADE ME THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD BED-AND-BREAKFAST.
REPORTER: HE HAS BEEN RUNNING IT AS A THREE ROOM B&B FOR 12 YEARS, WELCOMING VISITORS UNAWARE OF THE HISTORY.
>> THEY WANT TO SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT ARTIFACTS.
SOME ARE ACTUALLY DELANOS.
WE HAD VIITS FROM THE DELANO KINDRED SOCIETY AND VARIOUS GROUPS OF THE DELANO FAMILY.
REPORTER: BEAUCHAMP WAS ATTRACTED TO THE COMMUNITY.
>> A CONFLUENCE OF HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE MIXED WITH THE LOCATION.
VERY FRIENDLY END DOWN TO EARTH.
REPORTER: YOU CAN FEEL THAT VIBE THAT ELIZABETH’S, WHERE FISHERMEN, TAURUS AND BUSINESSMEN MINGLE AMONG A SLIGHTLY KITSCHY DECOR IN WHAT CANNOT BE ONLY DESCRIBED AS A
SEAFOOD RESTAURANT.
>> WE ARE A SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, BUT WE DO LAMB SHANKS.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST SELLERS IS PUMPKIN RAVIOLI.
REPORTE: FOR THE OWNER, IT IS NOT REALLY WORK.
>> I LIKE MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY AND I CAN MAKE THEM HAPPY THROUGH COOKING.
I HAVE A JOB WHERE I WAKE UP AND GET TO DO WHAT I LOVE EVERY SINGLE DAY.
REPORTER: FUELED UP, YOU MIGHT HAVE ENERGY TO SHOP DOWNTOWN.
A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR A LITTLE OF ALMOST EVERYTHING.
FULL OF GIFTS AND NECESSITIES BOTH THE NAUTICAL AND NOT.
GAIL OWNS THE STORE AS WELL AS THE FAIRHAVEN SHIPYARD AND MUCH PROPERTY IN TOWN.
A DIFFERENT STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME, BUT WHAT MAKES FAIRHAVEN SPECIAL?
>> THE OCEAN, PROXIMITY TO PROVIDENCE, BOSTON, EVERYWHERE.
BOATING, SWIMMING.
REPORTER: INCLUDING REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY AT FORT PHOENIX, A PICTURESQUE SPOT OVERLOOKING BUZZARDS BAY AND THE SITE OF THE FIRST NAVAL IN GAUGE MEANT IN 1775.
>> A GROUP OF 25 SAILORS CAME OUT OF FAIRHAVEN AND CAPTURED TWO BRITISH HELD VESSELS IN THE HARBOR.
WE WON THAT A MONTH AFTER THE BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
REPORTER: A BIT OF EVERYTHING IN THE TIDY PACKAGE OF FAIRHAVEN.