Click on these links to see the previous days of this tour:
Day One https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/on-path-of-pilgrims-tour-from-general.html
Day Two https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/day-two-on-path-of-pilgrims-tour-by-gsmd.html
Day Three https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/day-three-of-path-of-pilgrims-tour-by.html
Day Four: Alden House, Standish Burying Ground, Plymouth Rock, Pilgrim Mothers Monument, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Burial Hill, the Mayflower House, the Mayflower II, and back to Plimoth Patuxet to "Eat Like a Pilgrim" (see below)
Day Five https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/day-five-of-path-of-pilgrims-tour-by.html
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| The Alden House, Duxbury, Massachusetts |
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| One of the bedrooms inside the Alden House |
On the fourth day of the tour we drove to Duxbury, Massachusetts to tour the Alden Homesite. This historic home and archealogical dig site is operated by the Aden Kindred of America, a lineage society of Alden descendants. After the Mayflower passengers John and Priscilla left Plymouth, they were granted land in what is now the town of Duxbury. Their original homesite is about 750 feet from the Alden House. It was excavated in 1960 by archaeologist Roland Wells Robbins, and the artifacts found are on display inside the house.
The Alden House was built around 1700 by Jonathan Alden, son of John and Priscilla. The Alden family occupied this structure for three centuries. It is the only surviving house from the 1627 land division still owned by the same family. It is currently a museum house, open to the public, with many family items. There is also a barn with restrooms, a theater, more displays, and a gift shop.
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A docent led a tour from the Alden House to the
older Alden Homesite nearby |
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Bricks mark out the excavated basement of the
First Alden Homesite |
The Myles Standish Burial Ground is the oldest maintained cemetery in the United States. Myles Standish and his family, John and Priscilla Alden and their family, and Mayflower passenger George Soule are all buried here. Originally the Duxbury meetinghouse was built here, but it was abandoned in 1789. The Duxbury Rural Society bcame interested in restoring the burial place of Myles Standish in 1887, and they exhumed several bodies to find the exact spot. A very impressive and flamoyant monument featuring four cannons was built over the place were his remains were located. The oldest gravestone in the cemetery is Captain Jonathan Alden, died 1697 (the youngest son of John and Priscilla Alden). The other Mayflower passengers' gravesites are marked by monuments erected by descendants.
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| The Myles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, Massachusetts |
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| The Standish family tomb |
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| Visiting my Standish ancestors |
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| George Soule, died 1679, another ancestor |
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| The monuments to John Alden and his wife Priscilla Mullins |
We drove back to Plymouth for lunch and some free time to explore the waterfront of Plymouth Harbor. Vincent and I walked along and viewed the Plymouth Rock, the fountain dedicated to the Pilgrim Mothers, and Mayflower II.
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| Plymouth Rock |
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| The Pilgrim Mothers Monument |
We rejoined the group tour for a visit to the Pilgrim Hall Museum, operated by the Pilgrim Society. The museum was dedicated in 1824, and is the oldest public museum in the United States. This is the place to view Pilgrim possesions donated by the families of the Mayflower passengers, as well as other artifacts including from the native Wampanoags as well as the families from England. There is quite a gallery of art dedicated to the Mayflower story, and a small library and research center.
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| Pilgrim Hall Museum |
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Rev. John Robinson's last sermon to his flock,
as they leave Delftshaven, Holland for the New World |
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| This cup was passed down in the Allerton and Cuschman families |
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| This chest was passed down in the Standish family |
Some of the tour members chose to take on a walk up Burial Hill to the cemetery on top. It is a very steep climb, and it was a hot day. This is the location of the original fort built by the 1620 settlement, and graves of the earliest families. Mayflower passengers are buried here including Governor William Bradford, William and Mary Brewster, and John and Elizabeth Howland. Other notable burials here are Marcy Otis Warren, James Warren, and Governor Thomas Prence. It was a strenuous climb, but well worth it!
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| The view from the top of Burial Hill |
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This monument honors the nearby grave
of John Howland, another ancestor |
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| This monument on Burial Hill lists the Howland family |
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| The Mayflower Society House |
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| The Mayflower Society Rose Garden |
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| The new statue to William Bradford |
After climbing back down Burial Hill we walked to the Mayflower Society House on 4 Winslow Street. It is undergoing historical restoration, and is not open for tours this year. And the Mayflower Society library is not open either. But we were able to tour the lovely rose gardens behind the house, and see the new statue of William Bradford. It was dedicated in 2021 for the 400th commemoration of the Mayflower voyage. It depicts Bradford writing in his journal.
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| The Mayflower II |
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The lower deck of the Mayflower II, where the passengers
endured a voyage of 66 days across the Atlantic Ocean |
From the Mayflower Society House we walked down the hill to the Plymouth harbor to visit the Mayflower II. This is a replica of the original Mayflower ship that arrived in 1620. The Mayflower II was built in 1957 as a gift from England as a thank you for assistance during World War II. It is always humbling, as a descendant, to visit this humble little ship. Our group of 45 grew quiet when we went below decks to the hold where the Mayflower passengers were confined for 66 days during the voyage to the New World. It's hard to imagine spending a few hours in this space, let alone being squished in there for over two months with 102 passengers, their cargo, and animals.
After our visit to the Mayflower II we went back to Plimoth Patuxet again, not for a tour, but for a dining experience called "Eat like a Pilgrim". We had a humble meal of cheate bread, butter, cheddar cheese, local grapes, pickles, roast turkey, onion sauce, apple cider, and Indian pudding. Salt was served in a salt cellar. Our guide gave us a brief lecture on the table manners and recipes of the 17th century. We tried to eat with no forks, napkins over our shoulders, and using our hands. It was fun, educational, and a bit messy!
Stay tuned for Day Five of our tour - the last day!
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| Back to Plimoth Patuxet for dinner |
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| Vincent enjoying his Pilgrim meal! |
For the Truly Curious:
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Day Four "On the Path of the Pilgrims" Tour by the GSMD", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 27, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/day-four-on-path-of-pilgrims-tour-by.html: accessed [access date]).
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