At Sea in Plymouth

Today, we toured Plymouth, MA, by taking a narrated boat tour. The photo above is of Plymouth from the harbor. This area is charming and Plymouth's nickname is "America's Home Town." That is a very apt name as the town is just what one expects a New England town to be. What you are seeing is the waterfront area. But up the hill is the main street of the town with stately buildings and cute shops and restaurants. There is plenty to do and very walkable.

While today, we see the town that grew up to be Plymouth, the Pilgrims saw this area as a place to develop their settlement. The narrator explained that while the Pilgrims did spend 5 weeks in Provincetown at the tip of the Cape, they did not find the land suitable for development. The Pilgrims were farmers and were looking for land appropriate to farm on and a permanent source of fresh water. There happens to be a fresh water brook running through Plymouth still today. It is the fresh water source that the Pilgrims were looking for. This is a photo of Plymouth Harbor with our paddlewheel tour boat to the left and the spars of the Mayflower II to the right. We took a 2 1/2 hour ride into the harbor and then, out to the Atlantic Ocean. It was a perfect day to be out on the water.
Above is a photo of the Mayflower II, a replica of the original Mayflower that was given to the town of Plymouth from the people of Plymouth, England in 1957. The narrator explained that the length of the deck from stem to stern was about 80 feet and about 24 feet wide. There were 102 Mayflower passengers and 26 crew. The families built small cabins, which were wooden dividers nailed together, to provide a small amount of privacy. On board was a dismantled shallop, a 30-foot sailing vessel that the Pilgrims brought with them so that upon arrival in the New World, they could more easily carry their cargo to shore. You can see the replica of the assembled shallop tied up next to the Mayflower. It was actually from this little boat that the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock.

Finally, here it is "The Rock" of Plymouth Rock fame. Sorry about the picture quality, the sun was at an awkward angle and it's the best I could do. The rock is surrounded by a monument with bars because people were chipping away at it for souvenirs so it is safely enclosed so the rabble can no longer deface it. Of course, there is no way to prove that the Pilgrims actually stepped upon Plymouth Rock, but it is a well loved part of our mythology.

I must acknowledge the role of the Indians in aiding the Pilgrims:

"By legend the Pilgrims stepped ashore at Plymouth Rock; their records do not mention this landmark. Settlers began erecting buildings and rough shelters for the winter. But harsh climate and illness took their toll. By the end of winter half the colonists had died.

The colonists encountered the Indian Samoset, who surprised them by speaking English, learned from English traders on the coast of Maine. Samoset introduced the colonists to Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Indians, who signed a peace treaty with the Pilgrims. Squanto, another English-speaking Indian, acted as guide and interpreter, and with his help the colonists learned to plant corn, catch fish, and gather fruit. The Pilgrims invited the Indians to celebrate their first harvest in 1621, an event now celebrated as Thanksgiving Day."

Also, in 1835, Alexis De Tocqueville said it best:

"This Rock has become an object of veneration in the United States. I have seen bits of it carefully preserved in several towns in the Union. Does this sufficiently show that all human power and greatness is in the soul of man? Here is a stone which the feet of a few outcasts pressed for an instant; and the stone becomes famous; it is treasured by a great nation; its very dust is shared as a relic."

We need these touchstones (pardon the pun) to remind us of the incredible feats of our forefathers, but we don't need constitutional amendments to protect them, if you get my drift.