2018 - October 30th - Plymouth, Massachusetts - Plymouth Rock, Plimoth Plantation and more

After a nice breakfast at the Hearth 'n Kettle, we started our day of adventure. We saw that Plimoth Grist Mill was only a short distance away. As we went less than a half block from the hotel front door to cross the street, we saw the Grist Mill was right there on the opposite corner. We were happy that we didn't get in the car to drive! Nestled alongside Town Brook, and just a short walk from the waterfront, the Plimoth Grist Mill tells the story of the grist (corn grinding) mill built by the Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony. After more than a decade of laboriously grinding corn by hand in wooden mortars, the colony authorized the construction of a water-powered corn grinding mill on Town Brook in 1636.

We decided to walk awhile not realizing we could walk the entire town and see all of our wish list "want's". We first came across First Parish Church of Plymouth, the historic church at the base of Burial Hill. The congregation was founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth. The current building was constructed in 1899. The above plaque reads: The Church of Scrooby Leyden and the Mayflower gathered on this hillside in 1620 has ever since preserved unbroken records and maintained a continuous ministry. Its first covenant being still the basis of its fellowship. In reverent memory of its Pilgrim founders this Fifth Meeting-House was erected A.D.MDCCCXCVII.

Kitty-corner within a stone's throw from this First Parish Church is The Church of the Pilgrimage. This church was built in 1840 by the congregation that withdrew from the First Parish Church in 1801 as a repudiation of the liberal theology.

Between the two churches was a cobblestone road that led us to Burial Hill. On a weathered sign we passed, part of it says "Burial Hill - The hill before you has been used for burials by Plymouth residents since the 1620s. The English settlers (known as "The Pilgrims") built them first for meeting house. Here Mayflower passengers are buried ….". This historic cemetery or burying ground was stablished in the 17th century and is the burial site of several Pilgrims, the founding settlers of Plymouth Colony.

We wound through the old historic parts of Plymouth taking us to the waterfront. On our journey we passed The Town House of Plymouth. The marker plaque on the house reads "On this site until 1749 stood The Government House of The Old Colony. In that year this building was erected by the county for a court house. It was used jointly by the county and the town until 1820 and then became the property of the town and has ever since been used as a Town House." On the same walk, we also saw a historical home which as the sign says, was "built by Captain William Barnes in 1795 for his new bride, Sally Tribble. This house sits on the original site of "The Common House" established by the Pilgrims in 1623. Here the Pilgrims stored food and housed families until land was granted to establish their homes. 1623 - 1795" We were now approaching the shoreline and could see down the hill a pavilion of columns. As we arrived there, we discovered this is the covering for the famous Plymouth Rock.

On one of our trips to England, Ray and Sandra had taken us to Portsmouth. We were able to be on the stone steps that the Pilgrims used to board the Mayflower. So this was the complete circle, from being at their departure site in England, to the first landing in Provincetown in Cape Cod to now Plymouth. If expecting a large rock like a cliff, this would be disappointing. We heard that the rock was relatively small and it is. Two people would be unable to stand on it at one time! No matter what the size, we were thrilled to see Plymouth Rock! The nation’s oldest continuously operating public museum, Pilgrim Hall Museum houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions telling the story of ordinary yet determined men and women building lives and homes for themselves and their children in a new world. Also is the story of the Wampanoag, "People of the Dawn," the Native People who inhabited this area for 10,000 years before the arrival of the new settlers and who are still here today. On a hill overlooking Plymouth Rock is the statue of Massasoit, the Great Sachem of The Wampanoag - Protector and Preserver of The Pilgrims - 1621. He signed a treaty of friendship with the English guaranteeing him peace and mutual acceptance.

Another historical memorial in Plymouth is The Mayflower Passenger Memorial - Of the one hundred and four passengers these died in Plymouth during the first year. The memorial lists all of the names of these citizens that perished in that first year. Inland from the shoreline, we walked Brewster Gardens. It is a lovely park. Town Brook is a 1.5-mile stream running through Brewster Gardens that provided drinking water to the Pilgrims who made their homes adjacent to the brook. Town Brook's headwaters are the Billington Sea, a 269-acre freshwater pond. As we know from our first adventure of the day this morning, it also passes by The Plimoth Grist Mill at Jenney Pond. In Brewster Garden is a stainless steel sculpture honoring Plymouth’s immigrant settlers from 1700 to 2000 named The Immigrant Memorial.

Also in Brewster Gardens we saw a bronze statue called The Pilgrim Maiden. Her plaque reads "To those intrepid English women whose courage, fortitude and devotion brought a new nation into being, this statue of the Pilgrim Maiden is dedicated."

In the afternoon we visited Plimoth Plantation. It is a living history museum in Plymouth that attempts to replicate the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by English colonists who later became known as the Pilgrims. They were among the first people who emigrated to America to seek religious separation from the Church of England. The exhibits tell the complex and interwoven stories of two distinct cultures - English and Native. The visitor center is packed with information. We watched an orientation film that introduced us to the complex and history. There are many exhibits here to see and learn history. This whimsical Mooflower and the story of the star of the 2006 CowParade of Boston deserved a picture!

Leaving the Visitor Center we follow the trail through some forested areas with brilliant fall color trees to the first encounter being the Wampanoag Homesite. The Wampanoag are an American Indian people in North America. They were a loose confederacy made up of several tribes in the 17th century. The homesite has a wigwam round home made of twigs and bark.

Here we also encounter a young man reenactment of burning a tree to make a mishoon (canoe). He was real talkative and doing a great job. It looks like it takes a lot of skill to do this! The homesite also had a young lady doing a cooking demonstration over her open fire pit. All of the areas of this Wampanoag Homesite were real interesting and authentic. Next was the Craft Center of Plimoth Plantation. Here there were several artisans making their crafts. There was pottery, wood carvings and candle making. Stop four in Plimoth Plantation was the Fort and Village that have been recreated to depict the time around 1627. This is the year picked as from historical records, it was after this period the Colonist began moving from Plymouth to settle other towns. Entering, we are at the Fort/Meeting house on the hillside. From here the view of the Village and Cape Cod Bay beyond can all be taken in. In addition to its military function, the Fort was used as a meeting place for religious services and as a courthouse. The village consist of modest timber-framed houses furnished with reproductions of the types of objects that the Pilgrims owned, aromatic kitchen gardens, and heritage breeds livestock. Engaging townspeople are eager to tell you about their new lives in Plymouth Colony. Here you can imagine you have travelled back in time and can hear directly from the Pilgrims about the Colony's difficult beginnings. Anyone can ask about religious beliefs, education and child rearing, relations with Native People, gardens, cooking, or any topic of interest. There were school groups that were asking and listening to these reenactment guides throughout the village.

Our last stop at Plimoth Plantation is the Nye Barn which is across the parking lot and quite frankly, a little hidden! It was worth finding and going into. In the pastures at Nye Barn are some of Plimoth Plantation's rare breeds cows and goats. Inside the barn there is a display of photographs and texts explaining the history of the various breeds of livestock and the value of global conservation efforts.

The Plimoth Plantation was a great way to spend an afternoon. Back in central Plymouth we went to the National Monument to the Forefathers. This granite monument stands 81 feet tall to honor the first English settlers to land in Plymouth. The monument, the largest solid-granite monument in the United States, was dedicated in 1889 (30 years after its cornerstone was laid).

A dedication on the monument reads: “National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty.”

The largest figure, Faith, is 36 feet tall and weighs 180 tons by itself. Faith, holding a Bible, stands atop a granite column facing toward Plymouth Harbor and England.

National Monument to The Forefathers - Education

Passengers of the Mayflower between Education and Liberty

All of the carvings have great significance. To read it all there great sites online to go to!

We had a full day and really enjoyed it. Tonight being our last together, Ray and I knew that we had to end the trip with a lobster dinner. We found Wood's Seafood Fish Market and Restaurant on the wharf. It was nothing fancy, but the food a delight. What we couldn't pass up was Twin Lobsters for $25.99! When we stopped to check out the place on our way from the monument to the hotel, a catch of lobsters was just coming in. The gal took one out and put it on the counter so we could see the size. We don't get them this fresh at home!

And we were thrilled with the twins and the great taste of New England!

At the end of the night all that was left were the shells! We certainly had our share of lobster on this 23 day journey! Photo album link