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It was a cold yet sunny day
as we headed down to Plymouth to find some Pilgrims.
Plymouth is a relatively small town but draws crowds
at this time of year as people gather to see Plymouth
Rock and the Mayflower II. Some people claim to be
slightly disappointed once they actually see Plymouth
Rock, and while they didn’t come out and say it, the
girls appeared to be less than wowed. It was just
the first in a string of historical inaccuracies that
we encountered which contradict what we hold as common
knowledge. The Pilgrims actually made their first
landfall near present-day Provincetown on Cape Cod,
an event that is memorialized by a giant stone tower
jutting into the sky. There’s an element of irony
here to anyone familiar with Provincetown – but that’s
another story. The Pilgrims considered carrying on
to their original destination in Virginia but thought
better of it. As they had no authority to set up a
colony in this region, they drafted the Mayflower
Compact, thereby establishing the rules by which the
new colony would be governed. It wasn’t until after
another five weeks of looking for a suitable site
that the Pilgrims finally settled on a natural harbor
they called Plymouth, after their original point of
embarkation in England.
There are only two eyewitness
accounts of the founding of the Plymouth Colony that
survive, and neither mentions anything about landing
on a great rock. In fact, the first recorded instance
of the Plymouth Rock story can date the legend only
as far back as the 18th century. Nevertheless, experts
agree that the rock did exist as a large glacial boulder
on the Plymouth waterfront when the Pilgrims arrived
and no doubt served as a notable landmark. Despite
its historical significance, the rock has been manhandled
over the years. In the 18th century, the stone was
broken in half while being moved to a more convenient
location. The top half was displayed in the town square
where souvenir hunters freely chipped off pieces.
Another mishap during a move to a more secure location
cracked the rock. Finally in 1880, it was moved back
down to the waterfront and cemented together with
the other half. A portico was built around it to
protect it from harm and impart the feel of distinction
that one of America’s oldest relics deserves.
We snapped some pictures of
the girls with the rock in the foreground so they
could show them to their classmates and then moved
on to visit the boat. There are no detailed descriptions
of the original Mayflower, but a replica typical of
the period was created in the 1950s using traditional
shipbuilding techniques and sailed from England to
Plymouth. Our first impression of the ship was amazement
that 102 passengers could be squeezed into such cramped
quarters for the journey, given there was also livestock
onboard. The exhibit guides were quite knowledgeable
and pointed out to us that a second ship, the Speedwell,
was deemed unseaworthy, meaning its passengers were
also squeezed on to the Mayflower for the 65 day journey.
Even today, the boat was getting a little crowded,
and the girls were beginning to succumb to the chilly
November ocean breeze. We refueled with some hot chocolate,
and made our way to the main attraction.
A few miles out of town stands
Plimoth Plantation, a re-creation of the original
English colony as it appeared in 1627. The exhibit
goes to great lengths to ensure that the story is
told from the viewpoint of both cultures, and thus
a few feet away from the English settlement is a Wampanoag
encampment. As we were gathering our stuff from the
car, our youngest niece pulled out her construction
paper Indian headdress that she made in class. So
we had an uncomfortable conversation to explain how
some of the Native Americans might feel that it was
offensive, but she wasn’t having any of it. Making
and wearing these headdresses (and Pilgrim hats) was
a school-sanctioned activity to celebrate the holiday.
How could they be offensive? We agreed to adopt a
wait-and-see approach, and this proved to be a prudent
move as we encountered a sign instructing us of political
correctness near the Wampanoag village on the Eel
Pond shoreline. Interpreters representing a number
of Native American tribes explain everything about
17th century life, including affairs with their European
neighbors.
A hundred yards away, at the
fortified English village, we finally found Pilgrims.
The interpreters spoke in character and tended to
the same chores of collecting firewood, cooking, and
feeding the animals as the colonists of the day. Still
the girls were not convinced. Where were the black
suits with the white collars and the buckles on the
hat? These people wore brown baggy clothes and spoke
with a funny accent. Our nieces’ attention quickly
turned to the farm animals that kept them entertained
until dinner. The authentic 1627 harvest Thanksgiving
dinner was to be the highlight of the evening. After
a short wait that conveniently gave everyone time
to visit the multitude of gift shops, we were escorted
to our assigned spaces at the banquet table. We were
joined by the Pilgrims who welcomed us to the feast
and introduced our menu for the evening. Servers scampered
around the room with several courses each of meat,
vegetable, and desert. As was customary of the time,
we dug in with only a spoon and our fingers to field
greens, followed by turkey, stewed pumpkin, cabbage,
fish, and various other dishes - no sign of stuffing,
mashed potatoes, candied yams, pumpkin pie, or even
cranberry sauce. We appreciated the historical accuracy,
but the lack of spices which we tend to take for granted
in today’s cuisine, meant the food was tasted especially
bland. Even the cheesecake, which came in the middle
of the meal, was not sweet seeming more like a quiche
than a cake. Meanwhile, the Pilgrims sang and took
questions from the guests. It was an educational experience
all around, even if it was for more than some of us
had bargained.
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