I-195: The Portuguese American Interstate Highway. Map from Rand McNally Road Atlas, 2018.

As we continue our expedition it’s time to show a map of the area we have been looking at (above) in these posts.

The main region of Portuguese American settlement in New England is in the three cities of Fall River and New Bedford, Massachusetts and East Providence in Rhode Island. The cities are closely connected because Fall River, in the center, is only 15 miles from the other two cities. I’ve called Interstate 195 that runs through these three cities ‘The Portuguese American Interstate Highway.’

Spirit of the Immigrant in South Dartmouth MA. Photo by the author.

In this post we will do a visual tour of the way that Portuguese Americans use signs in the landscape to remind them of their ancestral home. Signage is one of the most obvious ways that a different culture presents itself in the American landscape. I’ve been taking pictures of these signs for many years, so not all are still present in the landscape.

The Portuguese have a particular term for this longing or nostalgia for their homeland — saudade. That word is featured on a sculpture (above), ‘The Spirit of the Immigrant,’ that was unveiled in 1997 in Dartmouth, just outside of New Bedford.

Another use of the term ‘saudade.’ Photo by the author.

The term saudade is also used on the name of this library and Immigrants’ Assistance Center in the South End of New Bedford.

An Azorean social club. Photo by the author.

Most Portuguese Americans in the area, especially those in Fall River, are from or descended from immigrants from the Azores Islands. The adjective used, Açoreana, is equivalent to Azorean.

An Azorean market in Fall River. Photo by the author.

The Acores Market in Fall River features a painting of the nine islands on two sides. Photo by the author.

Many Azoreans are from St. Michael’s Island, (São Miguel) the most populous island of the Azores and home to the largest city, Ponta Delgada. A former club and banquet hall with that name (below) stood in Tiverton RI, just across the state line from Fall River.

Ponta Delgada is the largest city of the Azores. Photo by the author.

Numerous Portuguese social clubs are visible in the landscape. Almost always these clubs were formed by Portuguese Americans from particular Atlantic islands or regions of continental Portugal. The sign on another Ponta Delgada Club (below) shows that city’s famous landmark, the gates or the Portas da Cidade.

This sign for the Ponta Delgada club features the city’s ‘Portas da Cidade’ symbol. Photo by the author.

Nearby (below) is another club for folks from the same island.

An Azorean social club in New Bedford. Photo by the author.

The adjective used for people from St Michael’s is Micaelense as on this bakery below.

A St. Michael’s bakery. Photo by the author.

Below is a club in New Bedford for people from Madeira Island. Madeira is not part of the Azores. Madeira’s main city, Funchal, is about 600 miles southeast of the Azores and about 400 miles due west of Morocco on the coast of Africa. Madeirense is the equivalent of Madeiran.

A Madeiran social club in New Bedford. Photo by the author.

Due to its heyday as the world’s whaling capital, New Bedford’s Portuguese community is older than that in Fall River and more diverse. While Fall River’s Portuguese community is overwhelmingly Azorean, New Bedford has multiple communities from mainland Portugal, Madeira and Cape Verde as well as the Azores.

It happens that the major annual religious procession and Feast of the Blessed Sacrament (aka the Madeira Feast) takes place on a street that houses the two Azorean social clubs pictured above. Much to the dismay of many people from the Azores at the time, many years ago the city renamed Diman Street to Madeira Avenue!

The photo below shows a play on words at a folk-dancing club in Fall River. Pico is the other large island of the Azores from which many immigrants came. The word Lusitano on the sign is a synonym for Portuguese that derives from Lusitania, the Roman name for the region that is now Portugal.

A club for folk dancers in Fall River. Photo by the author.

Brazilians, many attracted to the area by the existing large population of Portuguese speakers, often name their businesses with reference to their homeland.

Brazilians often name their businesses for their homeland. Photo by the author.

Brazilians experience ‘saudade’ too. Photo by the author.

Other place names are featured on business and restaurant signs. In earlier posts we saw the importance of the name Sagres as a cultural icon. Sagres is the town at the southern tip of Portugal from which Prince Henry sent out expeditions. It’s also the name of Portugal’s ‘tall ship’ that travels worldwide, and it’s the name of a popular Portuguese beer.

Sagres is a place name and a Portuguese cultural icon. Photo by the author.

Here’s another place name used as the name of a restaurant, below. Estoril is a coastal area near Lisbon known for its casino and luxury resorts and is sometimes called the ‘Portuguese Riviera.’

The Estoril Restaurant in Fall River. Photo by the author.

I grew up in this area and in the Portuguese American culture. Now I’m a retired geography professor and I’ve outlined these ideas in detail in my book Making History – Creating a Landscape: The Portuguese American Community of Southeastern New England. 

The author’s book available on Amazon.com: com https://www.amazon.com/Making-History-Creating-Landscape-Southeastern/dp/1722258462/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title