Plimoth Plantation

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View toward the main street of Plimoth Plantation

Plymoth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that reconstructs the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by European colonists, some of whom later became known as Pilgrims, being among the first to emigrate to America to avoid religious persecution and to seek religious separation from the Church of England. ^[1] It currently is a not-for-profit museum supported by admissions, contributions, grants and volunteers.^[2]

The museum was started in 1947 by Henry Hornblower II (November 5, 1917-October 23, 1985), a Boston stockbroker with childhood ties to the Plymouth area. Because none of the structures and few artifacts from the 1620s survived, Hornblower, an amateur archaeologist, established the museum as a proxy. Beginning with a "First House" exhibit where the Mayflower II is currently docked, it was expanded to today's nearby fortified village by the 1950s. ^[3] ^[4] ^[5]The largest open air section of the museum is called the 1627 English Village, and it approximates ^[6] the assumed layout of the original settlement, which is generally accepted to have been built 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) to the northwest, along today's Leyden Street. ^[7]

The 1627 English Village is a speculative re-creation of the settlement as it would have appeared about 1627 from the houses and street plots to the tools, furnishings and items of everyday Colonial life. The recreations are sourced from a wide variety of primary and secondary records, accounts, articles and period paintings and artifacts ^[8] and the museum conducts ongoing research and scholarship, including historical archaeological excavation and curation locally and abroad. ^[9]

In the 1627 English Village section of the museum, interpreters have been trained to speak, act, and dress appropriately for the period. This is known as first person interpretation, a type of living history that attempts to portray the actual people (or composite characters) and events of a particular time period or region from a first person perspective. ^[10] At Plimoth Plantation they are called historical interpreters, and they interact with their 'strange visitors' (ie the modern general public) in the first person, answering questions, discussing their lives and viewpoints and participating in tasks such as cooking, planting, blacksmithing and animal husbandry. ^[11]The 1627 English Village loosely follows a time line, chronologically representing the calendar year 1627 from late March through November (the months the museum is open)^[12], depicting day to day life and seasonal activities as well as featuring some key historical events such as funerals and special celebrations.

Alongside the settlement is a re-creation of a Wampanoag home site, where modern Native People from a variety of nations (not in period character, but in traditional dress) explain and demonstrate how the Wampanoag's ancestors lived and interacted with the settlers.

The museum grounds at Plimoth Plantation also include Nye Barn, where historical breeds of livestock are kept; a crafts center where many of the objects used in the village exhibits are created; a cinema where educational videos are shown, a Colonial Education site for youth and adult groups, and visitors' center with indoor exhibits and educational programs. The two houses on the Colonial Education site were built by Plimoth Plantation for the PBS show Colonial House filmed in Maine. Following the filming, the museum disassembled the houses and reconstructed them at Plimoth Plantation. ^[13]

The Mayflower II, docked near the purported Plymouth Rock, is also under the care of the museum. Colonial First Person Interpreters represent the sailors and officers of the ship circa the 1620s.^[14]