Travels with Jenni: Plymouth and Fairhaven

“Faint not, poor soul, in God still trust; Fear not the things thou suffer must; For, whom he loves he doth chastise, And then all tears wipes from their eyes. - William Bradford, Plymouth Governor

(Note to readers: This free post used a lot of space for photographs. Just click on “View Entire Message” to see it all.)

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we offer this pilgrimage [get it?]

My mother was an historian and, as my father would travel as part of his scholarly work, my parents were sure to bring my sister and I along¹ to many of the large cities of the U.S. where Dad would go to meetings and Mom would to take us to museums or historical sites. It was inevitable.

Unlike many children my age, I actually enjoyed it. I saw new and different things, learned some historical minutiae, and didn’t have to sit in a classroom. Plus, I could spend my days capering about battlefields.

However, I recently realized there was one site to which I had never been, despite being to every other in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

I had never seen Plymouth Rock.

As the readers know, Jenni indulges my travel whims, even if it means going to Mumbai or Phuket, and as Plymouth isn’t even a two hour drive from the Pleasant Shoreline Bungalow™, off we went.

Since we’ve been having a ridiculously pleasant autumn, the day was as one could imagine: sunny and clear. The only adjustment we had to make was to the wind chill, as the 52 degree air temperature felt like 37 degrees.

Our itinerary for the first day was to see the famous rock, tour the reconstructed Mayflower II facsimile in the water², and visit the nearby Plimoth Patuxet Museums.

Day two involved a leisurely drive along the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut coastline back home, with one special stop.

As the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock, in its elaborate Grecian pavilion, are adjacent to one another with plenty of unclaimed parking meters, that was our first stop.

The Rock is, well, a rock. Still, if you’re going to be an American of any background, you may as well lay eyes upon it.

If your ancestors were members of the original landing party, there are a number of research opportunities available to you. The museum giftshop had an impressive number of books on the subject for sale.

Yep, that’s a rock alright. It’s been moved so many times, with so many chunks of it breaking off [note the crack], that it’s about 1/3 its original size.

The impressive stone work on the ceiling of the granite canopy over the Rock. Yes, these are the things I notice.

The Rock is in a pit in the center, attracting both tourists and their gum wrappers.

The size of the neighboring Mayflower II is always worth commenting upon. Yes, it seems small to us. It may have seemed small to the 102 original refugees, along with 30-40 crew members, but it was their means for liberation so their discomfort was not on top of their list of concerns.

From left, the Mayflower bow, the interior, and an interesting carving of the Mayflower with a monstrous bovine serving as an extension of its hull. No, I don't know why, either.

Like most of the work done by the artisans at Mystic Seaport, the reconstruction is impressive, especially for a vessel that is seaworthy and expected to be in the water year-round.

Since we were battling the wind and weather, it seemed an appropriate time for a chowder break.

From left: the quintessential chower, the equally quintessential cafe, some nautical fellow trying not to be blown over by the wind.

Even more impressive is the reconstructed village of Plimoth and the open participation of local tribe members who enable an accurate depiction of life in the 17th century.

Visitors may purchase one ticket that permits entry to the Mayflower II and all of the museums clustered together: the Patuxet tribal village, the 17th century village that represents the original Pilgrim settlement, and the grist mill.

Dinner that evening was at a recreation of a 17th century inn the Asian fusion place next door to the hotel. It featured an impressive, um, wall of liquor.

Also featured, a koi-less indoor koi pond. Again, with gum wrappers.

The next morning was leisurely as I wanted a casual return drive through Sandwich and along as much of the coastline as was easy. Breakfast was at a recreation of a 17th century inn an International House of Pancakes because why not? It’s been awhile.

About twenty-five years ago, when I was boat shopping, I came across the story of Joshua Slocum, the first man to sail solo around the world. He did so in a former oyster boat that he himself had renovated. It was christened Spray. This labor was performed in the town of Fairhaven, from which he began his gradual circumnavigation in 1892.³

I had been through Fairhaven back in 1999, and had visited the monument to Slocum that was not easy to find [actually easier these days with GPS] in a small park along the harbor that appears also to serve as someone’s front yard.

Anyway, we stopped again to pay homage to the secular patron “saint” of solo sailors.

Again, a simple overnight trip, but one that was perfect for the fortnight before Thanksgiving.

So, The Good:

The museum guides at both the Mayflower II and Plimoth Village are affable and knowledgeable. The live reenactors are very good. As the tribe members are played by tribe members, they carry an undeniable authenticity.

What impressed me the most about the people at the Village is that they stayed in character and spoke in the appropriate accent of the original pilgrims; which is somewhere between the English and the eventual American accent.⁴ Because they couldn’t break character, I couldn’t find out how it was taught to them and by whom. Further research is necessary.

The Weird:

Plymouth suffers from Vermont-itis in that businesses will have signs that say “Open at 9:00”, yet at 9:45 the door is still locked and the people inside seem reluctant to open it in order to take money from strangers. That seems an odd business plan.

Also, I am told by unimpeachable sources that the local gift shop, in an enviable location across from the Rock, is staffed by angry former prison guards.

That may be an exaggeration.

A local did warn me that every mean librarian was hired by that shop upon their retirement. That seems more plausible.

Again, I guess this is what one might call a disruptive business model. When I lived in the Berkshires there was a popular bumper sticker that read, “Welcome to The Berkshires. Now go home.”

That is a schizophrenic tourism philosophy particular to New England.

All of this, the Good and the Weird, is part of travel and touring, even when it’s just a day’s journey from one’s home. It’s all part of the fun.

Now, as the casual travel season concludes until spring, it’s what I look forward to continuing in the 2025 season.

Here’s a review of this year, if interested:

Manchester, Vermont
Concord, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
The Hudson River Valley

There was a return trip to the Hudson River Valley of which I haven’t yet written, but that is forthcoming as it will be tied with a profile of another member of the greater Transcendentalist community.

1. Even if it meant taking us out of school for sometimes as much as six weeks. I’m convinced that Sis and I turned out better educated because of that.

2. We had already seen the Mayflower II a few years ago when it was being re-constituted at Mystic Seaport, a scant 15 minutes away from the PSB™. However, it was in dry dock and seeing it in the water is much better.

3. Slocum’s book about his adventures aboard Spray, Sailing Alone Around the World [1900] is still in print and still highly readable.

4. The accent most associated with Boston and Providence is a clear descendant of it.