Plimoth Plantation is a historical re-creation of the Wampanoag native people and the Pilgrim settlers who arrived on the Mayflower on December 21, 1620. The first winter 1/2 of the colonists died. Who planned a trip to land in America in December?! Anywho...this place lets you explore the different cultures of the people back then. The native people (you're not allowed to call them Indians) speak in modern times and tell you about their people back then and today. They actually build/make everything at the plantation authentically. It was really interesting!
They burn out the trees to make their boats. It takes about 2 weeks from start to finish. Men were in charge of taking life (hunting, cutting down trees, etc.) and women were in charge of making/nurturing life.Here is the Plymouth settlers village with a view of the cape behind it.
The workers here spoke as if they lived in the year 1630. So everything they said or questions they answered were as if they were those settlers. I wish I could have sat and listened to them longer, but little kids aren't really into holding still house after house.
Next on the ticket was a visit to see the Mayflower II. It is a recreation of the Mayflower that the Pilgrims came over on. The real Mayflower sailed back to England and is gone now.
The Mayflower had 102 passengers on it. My great-great-great-....grandfather Kenelme Winslow's brother Edward Winslow was a passenger on the Mayflower. Kenelme (my ancestor) joined the colony a few years later.
It was a chilly day. I wished I had brought gloves for everyone. Here is the Mayflower II in the background.
And here it is up close. Quarters were tight. Amazingly only 1 person died on the trip, and 1 baby was born. I can't imagine having a baby at sea! Let alone having to live at the colony in December building everything from nothing!
After that we walked over to view the "Plymouth Rock". There was an annual Thanksgiving day Protest going on. Whatever. Until one of them started talking to McKinley and pushing their propaganda on my child, then I was annoyed.
Here is Plymouth Rock. Kind of a let down. It's about 4-5 feet long. Not really the grand rock in the ocean I imagined. 
Then we took a drive around Cape Cod, a looong drive. Some of my ancestors are buried in a small cape cod cemetery that has no address, just vague directions. We finally found it near 5 Monument View Road, Dennis, MA (that's for reference if I need to find it again with my GPS).
It is a small square of fenced land surrounded by homes. I had to cut through someones yard to get into it. It is the Old Worden cemetery, aka Homer cemetery, aka Winslow cemetery. But we found it!!
The cemetery was mostly comprised of Wordens and Winslows (my family) and Millers, and Homers.
The headstones are deteriorating which made it very hard to make out many of the names. This is one of my ancestors (one of the Kenelme Winslows) who died in 1715.
Here is a more modern plaque marking the three stubby worn headstones of Peter Worden (Sr), Peter Worden (Jr.) and Mary Worden. They died in the 1630's and 1680's. It was crazy being at the graves of my ancestors who lived over 300 years ago. I can't wait to show my grandpa and grandma these pictures.
After the cemetery it was 4:30 and dark. So we drove to a restaurant in Cape Cod that I had looked up online. There was no mention of being closed on Thanksgiving, but it was. So was pretty much every restaurant in Cape Cod. Darn small towns. So we ended up at McDonald's for Thanksgiving dinner. The kids got to get happy meals though, which they loved. For the record the cup in the picture is hot chocolate. It wasn't very good. They have an authentic dinner at Plimoth Plantation but it was $60 a person.
That's a far cry from our little McD's dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
4 comments:
How AWESOME, Heather! I am soooo envious, all that rich history right down the road! I'm glad you had a happy thanksgving. xoxo
That trip looks like tons of fun. I would like to go there some day and experience that. Keep taking tons of pictures. My kids would have been in heaven to have Thanksgiving at "Old McDonalds" ...Happy Thanksgiving!!
I looove it! It will be a Thanksgiving they (and you)will remember forever! My parents sent me a picture of Plymouth Rock when they were on their mission in Boston 2 years ago. They were pretty disappointed, too. But what a neat experience to visit the place where it all started. That is COOL.
You always have the best ideas and do the most interesting things! Looks like a really fun day!
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