Michelle Obama recognizes New Bedford Historical Society

The New Bedford Historical Society was recently named a “Preserve America Steward” by first lady Michelle Obama for the organization’s work restoring the Nathan and Mary Johnson house.

The Preserve America Steward program was started in 2008 and honors volunteer efforts that have helped to preserve and care for the country’s cultural heritage.

New Bedford Historical Society president Lee Blake said she hoped the designation would help highlight the city’s role in the life of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who stayed with Nathan and Mary Johnson upon arriving in the city in 1838. read full story