Last Updated: July 21, 2022
Here at Fiber Optic Center we are continuing the legacy of New Bedford in helping bring light to the world. Follow me for a moment here….
New Bedford is commonly referred to as the ‘The Whaling City’ for its deep history in whaling. During this period it was one of the richest cities in the world. The reason was whale oil. Before petroleum oils, this whale oil lite the lanterns of old. Herman Melville once referred to New Bedford as, “the city that lite the word”. We don’t know if he coined the lesser known nickname for New Bedford, the ’City of Light’, but we know it’s in recognition, first, for the lamp oil generated by this industry, and then later on in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for its local glass making companies. In fact one of these companies, Pairpoint Manufacturing Company, competed with Corning back in the day!
We started Fiber Optic Center in downtown New Bedford back in 1992 and have seen the city go thru a great transformation. In 1995 we moved to our current location, an historic ice house that once served the whaling industry in the cobblestone portion of New Bedford; an area that a year later would become a National Historic Park. The view from the top of our building overlooks the beautiful fishing harbor that reminds us of times past and once again brings in a bountiful yearly catch, one of the largest in the world, scallops instead of whale oil. If you’ve eaten scallops, there is a good change they came off a boat we can see from our building.
Now in the 21st century Fiber Optic Center is putting more emphasis on the ‘City of Light’ motto by working with companies across the globe that produce materials needed in supporting the massive increase in data delivery. In almost every case that data is converted to LIGHT and then sent along the glass fiber highway we are helping build.
We work with companies that make that happen. So here’s to modernizing the City of Light!
Additional resources from the FOC team include:
- View the Glossary, Acronyms, Military Specifications for Connectors
- Q&A Resource: email technical questions to AskFOC@focenter.com
Have questions about this article?
Contact FOC with questions at: (800) 473-4237 / 508-992-6464 or email: FiberOpticCenter@focenter.com and we will respond ASAP.
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