Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower

     We went back in history today and became Pilgrims living in 1627 on the Plimoth Plantation. (Yes, that is the correct spelling). Our first stop was the Wampanoag Homesite where the Pilgrim’s Native American neighbors had their summer dwellings on the banks of the Eel River. They planted their summer gardens and fished the river and nearby ocean for fish they later smoked. When the Pilgrims arrived they built a village of wooden plank houses, put up fences, and raised the animals – hogs, chickens and goats that came with them on the Mayflower. The Native American’s taught them to plant corn and other vegetables that thrived in the New England climate.
     Many “pilgrims” were available to tell us about their trip on the Mayflower and their experiences living in the Colony. Although all but one of the pilgrims survived the trip across the Atlantic, more than half of them died in the first year after their arrival in late fall. They had to build shelters while still living on the very crowded ship.
     When we toured the ship we got much more of a feel for the dark, crowded conditions that 102 men, women, and children as well as numerous chickens, pigs, goats and 2 dogs lived in. Each family had a small enclosure on the ship that amounted to a platform for a bed, space for a chest for all their belongings, and a curtain. Some of these tiny areas had a second “bunk” space for children. The areas were about 4’ x 5.

    I did learn that many Europeans had visited the Atlantic coast to catch and salt fish to take back to Europe. These fishing boats created charts for the future sailors to use to navigate the waters. The pilgrims had “chartered” the Mayflower – a freighter – to take them to the new world. One of the navigators on the Mayflower had been to New England previously and knew the way. The replica ship is full scale and really gave me the feel living on the ship. However, as the guide pointed out, the Pilgrims were living in the 1600’s and really were not used to any luxury in the subsistence level daily life so the ship was not such a transition.
     Our last stop was to Plymouth Rock. It is just a boulder. I was not impressed. But the rest of the visit to our historical roots was great.