Reverend Enoch Mudge (1776–1850)
Enoch Mudge was a pioneering Methodist minister and the first native New Englander to be ordained in his denomination. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts, he entered the ministry in 1793 under the influence of Rev. Jesse Lee, a key figure in the region’s early Methodist movement.
After years of itinerant preaching in Maine and service as chaplain to a militia regiment during the War of 1812, Mudge moved to New Bedford in 1832 to become pastor of the newly built Seamen’s Bethel—a nondenominational chapel established by the Port Society to serve mariners.
His sermons, steeped in compassion and moral care for sailors, caught the attention of a young Herman Melville, who attended Bethel services in December 1840 just before departing on his whaling voyage. Mudge’s presence and preaching are widely believed to have inspired the character of Father Mapple in Moby-Dick.
During his years at the Bethel (1832–1844), Mudge helped shape its mission as a place of spiritual refuge and moral support for seafarers. His dedication laid the foundation for the Bethel’s enduring role in New Bedford’s maritime legacy.