Plymouth, MA
Plymouth was settled by the passengers of the Mayflower in 1620, making it one of the earliest permanent English settlements in New England. Known as “America’s Hometown”, Plymouth is forever connected to the Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower, and the story of the first Thanksgiving, as well as the much older history of the Wampanoag people who inhabited this region for thousands of years before the Pilgrims arrived.
Today, its waterfront, historic homes, burial grounds, monuments, and preserved landscapes allow us to explore more than four centuries of history. Plymouth is especially meaningful to us because it is close enough to home that we have returned many times, yet there always seems to be another piece of its remarkable story waiting for us to discover.
Recent Posts
Constance Hopkins’s Beaver Hat
Among the objects we discovered in Plymouth was something remarkably personal: a beaver-felt hat associated with Constance Hopkins, a passenger on the Mayflower. Constance was only about fourteen years old when she crossed the Atlantic in 1620 with her father, Stephen Hopkins, her stepmother Elizabeth, and other members of their family. Unlike many objects displayed […]
A Grease Horn
Among all the objects that survive from Plymouth’s earliest years, some of the most interesting are not the rare or elaborate possessions, but the simple tools people used in their daily lives. This small grease horn dates from approximately 1635–1665 and is identified as coming from Plymouth. A grease horn was a practical container, usually […]
The Jury Box
The jury box in Plymouth’s 1749 Court House gives us another glimpse into how justice was administered in colonial Massachusetts. Enclosed by a wooden railing and positioned directly before the justices, this was where local citizens sat to listen to testimony, consider the evidence, and reach a verdict. Serving on a jury was considered an […]
Clerk and Attorney’s Table
Directly in front of the justices’ bench in Plymouth’s 1749 Court House sits the clerk and attorneys’ table. Its position at the center of the courtroom reflects the important work that took place here as each case moved through the colonial court. The court clerk was responsible for creating the official written record of the […]
Torrent No. 4
Inside Plymouth’s historic courthouse, we found another remarkable piece of the town’s everyday history: Torrent No. 4, a hand-drawn suction fire engine built in Boston by Stephen Thayer in 1828. Long before motorized fire trucks and modern hydrants, equipment like this represented some of the best technology available to a community trying to protect its […]
Plimouth Patuxet Museums
During my homeschooling years, we made many trips to what was then called Plimoth Plantation. It was one of those places where history became much more than something we read about in a book. As we walked through the recreated 17th-century English village, the people we met remained in character, speaking and responding as though […]
Spectator Seating
Along the sides and rear of the courtroom in Plymouth’s 1749 Court House are rows of simple wooden benches where members of the public could sit and watch the proceedings. Marty standing among them gives a good sense of just how intimate this courtroom would have been. There was very little distance between the spectators […]
Plymouth Rock
Few objects in American history are as instantly recognizable—or surrounded by as much legend—as Plymouth Rock. Sitting today beneath its granite portico on the edge of Plymouth Harbor, the rock has come to symbolize the arrival of the Mayflower passengers and the beginnings of Plymouth Colony in 1620. Yet there is no contemporary account stating […]
Pilgrim Sarcophagus
On Cole’s Hill, overlooking the harbor, stands this large granite monument containing the remains of some of the Mayflower passengers who died during Plymouth Colony’s devastating first winter. It is known as the Pilgrim Sarcophagus, and it marks the site of the colony’s first burial ground. The winter of 1620–1621 was catastrophic. Of the 102 […]
Sheriff Box
Another distinctive feature inside Plymouth’s 1749 Court House is the sheriff’s box. Its position within the courtroom reflected the important role the sheriff played in keeping the court functioning and maintaining order while the justices conducted the business of the day. The sheriff was responsible for much more than simply guarding the courtroom. He brought […]
Prisoner Dock
One of the more sobering features inside Plymouth’s 1749 Court House is the prisoner’s dock. This small enclosed platform represents the place where an accused person would stand during court proceedings, physically separated from the judges, attorneys, witnesses, and spectators around them. According to the courthouse exhibit, the sheriff would bring the accused into the […]
Pilgrim Hall Museum
Just a few blocks from the Plymouth waterfront stands Pilgrim Hall Museum, another place where the story of Plymouth becomes tangible. Founded by the Pilgrim Society in 1824 and opened the following year, it is the oldest continuously operating public museum in the United States. The imposing granite building was designed specifically to preserve the […]
