Plymouth County offers heritage on Massachusetts’ south coast

A 3 day tour of Massachusetts
from our Student issue,
Winter 2012.

Plymouth County dates back 500 years, with its namesake being Plymouth.

The site of the first permanent settlement of English colonists in New England, Plymouth is known for Plymouth Rock — the celebrated landing place of the Pilgrims. 

Plymouth was already named Plymouth when the Pilgrims arrived in 1620. Capt. John Smith (of Pocahontas fame) had named the place Plymouth in 1612 because of its resemblance to Plymouth, England.

But Plymouth County is more than just Pilgrims history. 

For instance, the Toll House Cookie originated in 1930 in Whitman, when restaurant owner and baker Ruth Wakefield attempted to make chocolate cookies by placing chocolate chunks in the batter without melting them first.

Try this three-day itinerary, where student groups can gain educational lessons while experiencing fun.

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Day One

In Plymouth, history is just the start. 

Board the replica of The Mayflower, Mayflower II, in Plymouth Harbor; gaze upon Plymouth Rock; check out the Mayflower Society House; and visit Plimoth Plantation to get a deep sense of the United States’ early foundations.

Plimoth Plantation is a re-creation of the Pilgrims’ settlement from 1627. Its museum has a detailed and authentic native home site sharing the indigenous Wampanoags’ story.

Plymouth also boasts the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, Pilgrim Hall. The museum has been the conservator of artifacts brought to Plymouth in 1620 and has other historic and significant items in its collection.

Plymouth is home to the longest-assembled Christian congregation in the United States. First Parish Church marked its 400th anniversary in 2006. English Separatists, later known as the Pilgrims, formed the church in 1606 in England.

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Day Two

Start the day with a four-hour whale watch with Captain Tim Brady & Sons from Town Wharf in downtown Plymouth to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in the Atlantic Ocean off the Massachusetts coast. If you want a shorter morning on the water, try Lobster Tale Cruise or the paddle-wheeler Pilgrim Belle.

Next, be certain to see the statue Faith, a soaring 81-foot granite piece pointing heavenward with one foot on Plymouth Rock. President Abraham Lincoln donated funds to this project, which was completed in 1889. Nearby, explore the iconic Plymouth Rock — which has a harborside portico marking its spot.

Also, check out Jenney Grist Mill, where miller John Jenney evokes the 1630s life at the mill. The mill also offers a guided walking tour of Plymouth.

Plymouth National Wax Museum and the 1749 Courthouse, the oldest wooden courthouse in the U.S., are other places to stop.

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Day Three

The oldest church and meetinghouse, Old Ship Church in Hingham, was built in 1681. Pay a visit to it to start a day exploring Plymouth County beyond Plymouth.

Nearby Hull is home to Paragon Carousel on Nantasket Beach, Hull Lifesaving Museum, Fort Revere Memorial Park and offers panoramic Boston Harbor Island and lighthouse views. Hingham’s World’s End, a 251-acre property with landscape designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, overlooks Hull and Boston Harbor. The U.S.’ oldest lighthouse, Boston Light, was established on Little Brewster Island in Hull on Sept. 14, 1716.

In the afternoon, take some snapshots at Scituate Lighthouse, where during the War of 1812 its keeper’s 15- and 16-year-old daughters played fife and drum to scare away British soldiers who’d planned to burn Scituate to the ground. Also, visit Maritime & Irish Mossing Museum in Scituate, where memorabilia of regional seafaring traces the region’s nautical past.

If your group still has time, consider stopping by South Shore Natural Sciences Center in Norwell or at Massachusetts Audubon Society-operated North River and Daniel Webster wildlife sanctuaries near Marshfield or North Hill Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary near Duxbury.

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Plymouth County CVB
(800) 231-1620
(508) 747-0100
www.seeplymouth.com

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