MATTAPOISETT — For Mattapoisett Museum board members Carole Clifford and Jennifer McIntire, the town has “so many” stories to share. 

On the museum’s Thursday, July 6 historical walking tour, the pair shared what they find “most alluring” about the history of Mattapoisett Village — from buildings relocated due to hurricanes, to English bombardments in the War of 1812, to notable residents and visitors to town. 

“I go with my gut,” said McIntire, regarding which stories she chooses to tell. “If I like a story, that’s what I want to tell.

The tour brought a small crowd of participants around the village starting at Town Hall, which according to Clifford, used to be a true center of town complete with trolley tracks along Church Street and Main Street. 

The tour also stopped at other notable locations like Shipyard Park, where, much like the name implies, was once filled with under construction whaling vessels. 

“If you walked along [Water Street], you’d walk under the bowsprits of whaling [vessels],” said Clifford. “Try to picture that.”

Finally, the group walked up Cannon street — the oldest street in town which used to be known as Clamshell Alley — to the village barbershop which according to Clifford has had only three barbers since its founding in 1928: Abraham Skidmore, Al Morgado and current barber and Mattapoisett Select Board Chair Jodi Bauer. 

According to McIntire, future walking tours may “change up” and include other parts of Mattapoisett’s past. Some walking tours will be hosted by the museum’s new curator Connor Gaudet, said McIntire, and he will do “his own thing … and I think it’ll be good.”

The Mattapoisett Museum will host more historical walking tours on July 15, Aug. 5, Aug. 10, Sept. 7 and Sept. 16. For more information, visit https://www.mattapoisettmuseum.org/events.