New London — New London Landmarks will offer a Whaling City Walking Tour of Bank Street, highlighting fifteen buildings directly tied to the whaling industry.

The hourlong walk will start at 6 p.m. on June 8 behind Union Station at the statue of Eugene O’Neill as a boy and conclude at Shaw Mansion.

“New London was the second largest whaling port in the world,” said Don Presley, a New London Landmarks board member who will be leading the tour. “This walking tour will help people imagine what Bank Street was like during the whaling industry’s heyday when so many of these buildings were built.”

“Among the buildings featured on this tour are two Bank Street buildings currently threatened with demolition,” said New London Landmarks Executive Director Laura Natusch. “One was the home of a prominent sea captain; the other was a sailors boarding house run by 'the most dissipated man in New London.' Although we hope that these buildings will be with us for a long time, it’s possible that this summer will be our last opportunity to offer a tour of a nearly intact nineteenth century maritime streetscape.”

Tickets are $15, payable by cash or check at the beginning of the tour.

This tour is part of the New England Foundation for the Arts’ Creative Communities Exchange festival hosted by Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition.

For more information, email director@newlondonlandmarks.org or call (860) 442-0003.