From Dave Brigham:
Somehow I managed to escape chaperoning duties when each of my kids visited the tourist destination formerly known as Plimoth Plantation with their schools. Known since a 2020 name change as Plimoth Patuxet Museums, the site in Plymouth, Mass., includes a Patuxet homesite, a 17th century English village, a grist mill and the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought European Pilgrims to these shores in 1620. According to Wikipedia, the Patuxet people "were a Native American band of the Wampanoag tribal confederation. They lived primarily in and around modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, and were among the first Native Americans encountered by European settlers in the region in the early 17th century."
While I'd driven through Plymouth on my way to and from Cape Cod, I'd never set foot in "America's Hometown." So last summer I decided to go on a pilgrimage of my own.
I'm guessing many, if not all, of my devoted worshipers, er, readers, are familiar with Plymouth and the Pilgrims. So I shant go into detail about the town's place in American history. I was mostly curious about the downtown area, so I started there, about one block from Plymouth Harbor. The main commercial drag is filled with touristy spots but thankfully many of those are located in historic buildings. But of course before too long I found myself within sight of the more obvious trappings of the place, so I had to pay them a bit of attention.
The first thing that caught my eye as I walked along Main Street was a former fire station that until recently was doing business as a restaurant with a rather silly name.
Built around 1895, the Plymouth Central Fire Station served that purpose until sometime in the 1970s, according to MACRIS. "[T]he town leased it for restaurant use. Careful attention was paid to preserve, restore and design around the interior mahogany paneling," MACRIS continues. For 28 years, until spring of this year, the old station was home to an outlet of Sam Diego's, a Mexican restaurant that also operates in Hyannis on Cape Cod. While the name of the restaurant is a bit goofy, I like that the owners went to a lot of trouble to create a myth about Sam Diego.
A house once located on this site was home to the Old Colony Club, a social club for gentlemen that is now located a short distance away on Court Street.
I really wanted to take a picture of the two gentlemen sitting on the side porch of the club, one of whom was wearing a top hat, which is a common sartorial choice with this gang, as evidenced by photos on its web site. Anyway, the Old Colony Club was founded in 1769 by "a group of seven young Plymouth men," evidently in an effort to avoid rubbing elbows with the type of gents who frequented taverns, according to the group's web site.
"In December of [1769] they decided to hold their annual meeting on the anniversary of the December 11, 1620, Landing (sic) on Plymouth Rock," per the group's web site. "This celebration, originally referred to as 'Old Colony Day' and later as 'Forefathers' Day,' was first observed on December 22, 1769. It should be noted that the use of the term 'Pilgrims' to refer to the Plymouth colonists had not yet come into use. They were still just the local 'forefathers' of the little community rather than the symbolic progenitors of the whole nation."
In addition to Forfathers Day, the club holds events for Independence Day and Thanksgiving. As for the building, it is known as the Nathaniel Morton Davis House, and was built in 1789.
Continuing west-northwest on Court Street, I came to a wonderful hand-carved sign on a storefront.
Located in a circa-1769 Greek Revival former residencee, the locksmith shop may be part of the adjacent Peggy's Pawn Shop. I'm not sure. As for building, it is known as Daniel Diman / Coomer Weston House and also the William Goodwin House. The building remained residential until the 1930s or 1940s when the ground floor was converted to retail space, according to MACRIS.
A few doors down, I was charmed by Shelly's English Tea Rooms.
Located in a circa-1880 Greek Revival former residence, Shelly's is the first U.S. outpost of a business begun in England in 2007. As for the building, it is located on land originally granted to Myles Standish and later owned by Governor Bradford, according to MACRIS, as is the case for many of these properties, I believe.
Moseying on down the road, I came to the site of the first "Dame School" in America.
Currently occupied by a realtor's office, the Isaac Symes / Tabitha Plasket House dates to 1772. Plasket lived from 1743 to 1807, and was a school teacher. According to Wikipedia, a dame school was "a private school with a female teacher during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The education provided by these schools ranged from basic to exceptional. The basic type of dame school was more common in New England, where basic literacy was expected of all classes."
The Symes / Plasket house dates to 1772. MACRIS indicates that "tradition states [Plasket] was the first woman school teacher in America."
On the opposite side of Court Street I spied a groovy sign for Artisan Pig, a restaurant offering wood-fired pizzas, sausages, craft beer and fine wines.
The building dates to 1875 and was remodeled in 1975, according to MACRIS.
A short walk away on the west side of Court Street is the former Armory of the Standish Guards (aka Plymouth National Guard Armory).
Now known as the Residences at the Armory, this English Revival building dates to 1906. The Standish Guards were Plymouth's first militia company.
From the armory, I headed down to the harbor. There I saw, you know, harbor stuff. Like trawlers (I think that's what the boats below are called).
As expected, I found plenty of funky restaurants on the waterfront. Below is The Shanty, which serves seafood and other touristy food, and below that is The Shanty Rose, a bar that offers karaoke and, you know, drinks.
The Plymouth assessor's office indicates that this building dates to 1930. Below is the nearby Lobster Hut, which has been around for more than 50 years.
This building rose in 1970, per the assessor. Next is Tavern on the Wharf, which has a boat on its roof.
This building dates to 1998.
Below is Ziggy's Ice Cream, which has been slinging frozen treats since 1957.
The building dates to 1965, according to MACRIS, and was built on the site of a former rope walk, which "is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope," according to Wikipedia. "Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropewalks were in the open air, while others were covered only by roofs."
In front of Soft as a Grape, I spied a funny anti-boiling t-shirt.
I continued east for a little bit, looked up and realized I was heading straight toward the Ultimate Tourist Spot: Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock. I honestly had no idea where these sites were when I set out on my trip. Part of me thought, "Oh, let's not go there. It's so obvious." The more decisive part countered with, "Sure, it's hokey, but these are important landmarks. Plus, if you tell people you explored Plymouth and decided to skip the main attractions, people will think you're a Commie."
Across from Pilgrim Memorial Park I was fascinated by the Pilgrim Mother Fountain and Statue.
The statue and fountain were gifts of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1921 for Plymouth's tercentenary celebration. "For the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1920 meant honoring this time of female triumph and Plymouth’s 300th Anniversary Celebration with a nod to the Mayflower women, whose numbers were decimated that first winter in Pawtuxet," per the See Plymouth web site.
I crossed Water Street to the small portico on the edge of the harbor where stands Plymouth Rock.
I knew that the rock was less impressive than a visitor might expect, given its outsize place in American history. Still, it was cool to see it. I dug that people throw coins into the pit for good luck, when the tide comes up and water covers part or perhaps all of the rock. The well-known architectural firm of McKim Mead and White designed the portico, which rose in 1921.
Having satisfied my tourist obligations to see the alleged point where the Pilgrims stepped ashore in the winter of 1620, I headed back toward the shops along Water Street. The Pillory Pub jumped out at me (a pillory, according to Dictionary.com, is "a wooden framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision.").
Opened in July 2012, the pub is run by the same family that operates the adjacent gift shop (which I will talk about below). The building dates to the 1890s and was used as a market, a warehouse and a restaurant prior to the opening of the pub, according to MACRIS.
As I mentioned, next door is the John Alden Gift Shop, named for the 21-year-old cooper (barrel-maker) on the Mayflower voyage.
The building dates to the 1930s.
At Fishmans Memorial Park facing the harbor, I took a few minutes to reflect on the history and beauty of Plymouth.
From there I headed west on Chilton Street and back to Court Street, where I continued my tour south-southeast. I like the sign for The Mea Thai Cuisine.
"Thai food by Thai wife," it says underneath "The Mea." The restaurant was established in 2021 in a building that dates to 1781 and was originally a house. From MACRIS: "The house here was built after 1781 and as common in that section of Town, was divided into two houses in 1785. The present structure reflects many remodelling and altering changes both in architecture and use through the years so that almost none of the original structure remains."
The other half of this property is occupied by the Galway Pub.
At the entrance to Maria's Tailoring & Alterations at 54 Court Street, under a small welcome mat, I spied an old tile entryway for a prior tenant.
This building, which has been altered greatly over the centuries, dates to 1710, according to MACRIS. "The two story building at 52-54 Court Street is a two-part commercial block with commercial occupancy on the first floor and residential space on the second and attic stories. This property is an altered example of the Colonial style of architecture. The building has a brick veneer on the front façade and vinyl siding on the other elevations. The building’s first floor fenestration has been replaced with modern updates throughout; however, the second and attic story windows appear to be the original two-over-two windows. The roof has been covered in asphalt shingles."
As for the residential and commercial history, MACRIS indicates that "[t]his lot was granted to Martha Waite in the early 1700s and was passed onto Eleazer Rogers who built the house. Rogers sold the property in 1721 to Thomas Phillips who sold it in 1723 to Anthony DeCosta whose widow lived here until 1765....Then in 1795 the property was divided between two owners and changed hands several times. William Morey purchased the southern half in 1812 and then the northern half in 1824 to become the sole owner of the property and lived here into the 1880s. The building remained residential through the early 1900s and by 1912 the ground floor was divided into three businesses: tailor, electrician, and variety store."
I haven't found anything about a store called Sugar Bowl, but I'm guessing it was a candy store dating back to the early- to mid-20th century.
On the opposite side of Court Street stands The Music Box, one part of a mini empire that includes the Guitar Pedal Shoppe (located in the same building) and a recording studio called Soaring Sounds next door.
As you've probably guessed, the building was originally a home, dating to the late 1790s. In the 1890s, the house was sold to the Methodist Episcopal Church, which maintained ownership until 1978, according to MACRIS. After that, the quaint property was owned by the Beis Jacob Society, an organization formed in 1912 in order to raise funds to build a synagogue in Plymouth.
At the corner of Court and South Russell streets, how could I pass up a chance to make a photo of a place called Gunther Tooties?
Part of a local, six-store chain, Gunther Tooties specializes in bagels, and also offers coffee, salads and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. I'm not sure when the business was founded, but the current owner, Tony Chen, purchased the chain in 2006, according to the company's web site. The store should not be confused with Colorado-based eatery chain Gunther Toody's, which was named for a character on the early '60s sitcom, "Car 54, Where Are You?" So I suppose that means Gunther Tooties was, as well.
As for the building, located steps from Plymouth Town Hall, it was previously occupied by Forest Jewelers, a Jubilee restaurant and All Things Tea, according to MACRIS. As for the date it was built, well, the MACRIS reporter was evidently drunk when this file was recorded. At the top of the document available online, next to "Year Constructed," it says 1935. Further in the report, we learn that the "building at 20 Court Street appears to have been constructed between 1910 and 1925." And then a little deeper in, we are told, "According to Sanborn Maps the lot was previously occupied by a dwelling at least until 1927 and the current building was constructed by 1948."
Take your pick. I choose to believe sometime between 1910 and 1925.
I ventured a little further south along Court Street and found myself at the town square, looking up at two very impressive churches. I was fighting the sun that day, so only managed one half-decent photo, seen below.
In the foreground is the Mayflower Meetinghouse, which is operated by the National Pilgrim Memorial Meetinghouse Charitable Trust. Built in 1897 as the First Parish Church of Plymouth, this Romanesque Revival beauty is the fifth house of worship located on this site. It was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Hartwell, Richardson, and Driver and is one of the few examples of this style of architecture in Plymouth, according to MACRIS. That firm was "established in 1881, by Henry Walker Hartwell...and William Cummings Richardson....The firm contributed significantly to the current building stock and architecture of the greater Boston area," according to Wikipedia. "Many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places."
According to the The Mayflower Society, First Parish Church donated the building in an effort to save it, and "upon the condition that funds be put in place to permanently maintain it, and that they be allowed to continue scheduling their services there." The Mayflower Society plans an immersive and multi-media museum experience at the site, according to its web site.
Behind the meetinghouse in the photo above is The Church of the Pilgrimage.
Currently affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the congregation was formed in 1801 after splitting off from the First Church, which eventually became Unitarian, according to MACRIS.
"The Church of the Pilgrimage was erected in the Greek Revival style in 1840 and extensively remodeled in the Colonial Revival style to the designs of prominent architect Joseph Everett Chandler," according to MACRIS. "Chandler was responsible for the building's monumental three-bay frontispiece, as well as its belfry, tower, and octagonal cupola."
My final stop on this tour was "the only existing house in Plymouth where Pilgrims actually spent time."
The Jabez Howland House was built in 1667, with additions completed in 1750 and 1790, according to MACRIS. John Howland and his wife, Elizabeth Tilley, both Mayflower passengers, had four sons and six daughters. Jabez, their eighth child, and his wife Bethia lived in the house at 33 Sandwich Street until they moved to Bristol, Rhode Island, in 1680, according to the historic house's web site.
The house was occupied until 1912 when, through the efforts of Mrs. Nelson Titus, then secretary-treasurer, the house was bought by the Pilgrim John Howland Society, according to the web site.
Then it was time for me to ship off....
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