World United States Massachusetts Plymouth

Mike and Roxanne travel east

Plymouth Oct 7, 2007

Oct. 7, 2007 Plymouth, Mass

Yesterday we had driven out to Provincetown and the site of the original Pilgrim landing in America. Today we will go see where they pulled ashore in the area now called Plymouth and where they established their settlement.

Our first stop is at the "rock". It is here that historians state that the pilgrims stepped ashore. It stands for permanence, change and potential the Pilgrims saw in America upon their arrival in 1621.

The rock has not always remained in the same place. It was not even identified as the landing pace until 1741. The shoreline was being prepared for the construction of a wharf and the rock was spared.

In 1774 the top half of the rock was moved to Town Square and displayed as a monument to liberty, it was moved again to Pilgrim Hall on the 4th of July 1834.

The neglected bottom half was then trimmed to fit within a new Gothic style granite canopy in 1867. In 1880 the top half was reunited with its base. In 1921 a new Neo-Classical portico was built over the rock and in 1970 it was listed in he National Register of Historic Places.

The original rock was over three times larger that what is there now but it seems remains a powerful ion of freedom.

We took a trolley tour around town and had the important places pointed out to us, The Mayflower II, the Jenney Grist Mill, Pilgrim Hall, National Monument to the forefathers, Pilgrim Mother Statue, Pilgrim Maiden Statue, Statue of William Bradford, the Statue of Massasoit and several of the old home sites.

We had battled drizzle all day but the sun was beginning to shine so we headed out to the Cranberry Harvest Celebration.

Massachusetts is the 2nd largest producer of cranberries in the U.S. and Plymouth County is the largest producer in Massachusetts. The A.D. Makepeace Company is the largest company in the area. They have been around since 1867 and during the harvest they hold the celebration and open the bogs so you can watch the harvest.

We parked the car, loaded on school buses and were bused through the first bogs to the main area. Here we loaded on more buses and were taken out to the harvesting bogs. We were able to watch both wet and dry harvesting and the loading of the berries into the trucks.

In the main celebration area are vendors, craft exhibitors, entertainment and exhibits on the equipment used in the harvest.

Even being raised in one of the 3rd largest cranberry producing states I had never watched a harvest. It was very interesting. As we watched the harvest we were able to drink Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and eat Craisins, which had been handed out to all who wanted it.