Plimoth Patuxet
Plimoth Patuxet is an amazing living history museum in Massachusetts which recreates the town of Plymouth as it was settled by the Mayflower Pilgrims. The people who work there dress like Pilgrims and Native Americans and go about their daily routines of work and play while interacting with visitors. It legitimately feels like you’ve stepped into a time machine frozen in the 1620s.
The gift shop is a fun place and sells artifacts, toys, and books which relate to life in the historic community. One of the books is Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford. He was a leader of the Pilgrims and wrote an eyewitness account of life in Plymouth. His work is also important because it describes the harvest festival which helped to inspire that most American holiday: Thanksgiving!
Rebecca Blake Beech
The Women of Plimoth
While researching writers for the Pioneering Women Writers National Road Trip, we discovered two important women writers who arrived on the Mayflower and lived in Plimoth. Mary Ring and Martha Harding were wives and mothers whose records provided instruction and raised awareness of the trades that sustained their families.
Read about Mary Ring here: pilgrimhallmuseum.org. She died only a year or two after arriving in Plimoth around 1629, so the literature she created far outlasted her own experience in the new land.
Next read about Martha Harding here: geni.com. She lived in Plimoth in the same era as Mary Ring, and passed away only a couple of years after the death of Mary Ring. Harding was in her late thirties when she died.
More to Know
Researchers can find more information about the relationship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans through the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
Where To Shop
Plimoth Patuxet is the last stop on Massachusetts Author Adventures Trail Part 1. Besides visiting on-site, take advantage of its online shop. It offers gifts made by local artisans and a wide range of treasures honoring its history. We highly recommend the fudge, which is available in many scrumptious flavors. It can be ordered online as well.
Patricia Smart
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