No Buckles or Collars

No Buckles or Collars

After learning that Provincetown – not Plymouth – was the first stop for the pilgrims in 1620, in Plymouth we were educated about the authentic apparel of those pilgrims.  Unlike the popular First Thanksgiving images, the real settlers in the 1620s never wore black hats with buckles or big square white collars. They also did not sport square buckles on their shoes.  Over the years as the importance of honoring these hardy folk took hold, they were costumed with a variety of fancy outfits – mostly NOT representative of their true period style. Although the town of Plymouth and the popular Plimouth Plantation are dedicated to the truth about the early settlers – even their energetic efforts do not seem to have successfully dented our long held images of the pilgrims. 

Plymouth is in the throes of restoration efforts and planning for the 400^th anniversary of the Mayflower arrival in 2020.  Many of the important buildings are under scaffolds; nevertheless, the town was swamped with summer visitors.  We enjoyed an informative tour with Leo the Husband as he dispelled many of our false myths about the early days in Plymouth Plantation. He told us stories about the Indians who made a treaty with the pilgrims for their mutual protection and how, indeed, this friendship was instrumental in the survival of the colonist especially their first year. The vital cooperation and friendship was celebrated in that first thanksgiving feast which may have included turkey but most likely really featured venison and fish.  This feast was also not a mere daylong event, but at least three days of celebrations with 90 Indian braves joining the 50 or so surviving Mayflower voyagers.

Oh yes, we also had a look at that famous Plymouth Rock.  It – or most of it – is housed in an impressive pavilion on the waterfront – next to the replica of the Mayflower.  The rock has clearly suffered over time.  It has been moved and removed several times with disastrous results.  What must once have been a large landing granite stone reportedly used by the earliest pilgrims to scramble from their dinghies to the shore, is now a rather underwhelming small boulder with a clumsily repaired large crack. Large pieces seem to have broken off as it was moved over the years and then early “tourists” chipped off souvenirs before the city fathers decided to protect it for posterity. What remains is now fenced off and protected from the elements and will hopefully be around for generations to come as a reminder of the hardy souls who ventured into the unknown to start a new life – and ultimately a new nation. 

Then there are the lighthouse - on clear days and in the fog!