Rocky Nook - The Site of Mayflower Passenger John Howland’s Homestead

Although I had been to Plymouth, Massachusetts many times, I had never visited Rocky Nook, the home of John Howland and his family.  John Howland is my 10th great grandfather in two different lineages, so we finally ventured outside of downtown Plymouth to find this little spot in the woods.

All the Mayflower passengers, including John Howland ( 1592 – 1673), my 10^th great grandfather, first lived in the stocked enclose at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in a row of homes that became known as Leyden Street.  Eventually they were granted larger homesteads nearby, and John Howland’s family removed to what became known as the town of Kingston and lived at Rocky Nook.  His son, Joseph (1640 – 1704), lived across the street.

These homesites have been studied by archaeologists for several years.  You can read the reports about these archaeological digs online, including the 2017 final report.  See below. At the homesite, up on the hill, is a large information board with some of this new information found by digging in this area.

HERE STOOD THE HOME OF JOHN HOWLAND

AND HIS WIFE

ELIZABETH TILLEY HOWLAND

FROM 1638 UNTIL HIS DEATH FEB. 23, 1673

BOTH WERE PASSENGERS IN THE SHIP MAYFLOWER

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A GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE THIS LAND HAS BEEN BOUGHT

BY THEIR DESCENDANTS AND THIS MEMORIAL ERECTED

UPON THE 300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR LANDING

AT PLYMOUTH MASS.

1620 - 1920

Rocky Nook is a peninsula between the Jones River and Kingston Bay.  It’s located not far from the northern border of the town of Plymouth, just off Route 3A, turn down Howland Lane (marked by a large green sign that reads “Rocky Nook” and “Grays Beach”).   The John Howland homesite is on the right side of the road, and the Joseph Howland homesite is on the left. There is room for one or two cars to park.  Look for the white granite marker in the photo at the top of this blog post.

Also in downtown Plymouth, is the Jabez Howland house, built in 1667.  Jabez Howland was one of John Howland’s sons, and John Howland lived here in his final years after selling his Rocky Nook home to William Kempe in 1640.  The Jabez Howland Home is located at 33 Sandwich Street and is operated by the Pilgrim John Howland Society, and open to the public for tours.

HISTORIC SITE

OF THE 1676 HOME

OF JOSEPH HOWLAND

WHO LIVED HERE UNTIL HIS DEATH

IN 1703/4.

HE WAS THE SON OF JOHN HOWLAND

A PASSENGER ON THE MAYFLOWER

WHO PURCHASED THIS PROPERTY

IN 1638

ERECTED IN 1963 BY THE 

PILGRIM JOHN HOWLAND SOCIETY

  

For more information:

From the Pilgrim John Howland Society website:  www.pilgrimjohnhowlandsociety.org/rocky-nook  

Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project  www.plymoutharch.com  (scroll down to the various John and Joseph Howland reports)

Jabez Howland House – www.pilgrimjohnhowlandsociety.org/howland-house

My lineages from two daughters of John Howland (Hope and Desire) are in this blog post:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/08/surname-saturday-howland-mayflower.html 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Rocky Nook - The Site of Mayflower Passenger John Howland’s Homestead", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 12, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/rocky-nook-site-of-mayflower-passenger.html: accessed [access date]).