A Visit to Plymouth, Massachusetts, "America's Hometown"
Our family visited Plymouth last week before arriving in Boston for the Reformation 500 Celebration. Here are a few of my pictures from our enjoyable and memorable, even if brief, visit to Plymouth:
Here is our family next to the waterfront with ships in the background, including the Mayflower II. (Thanks to Charmagne for taking the pic.)
The Hayden side of my family tree directly descends from John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, passengers on the Mayflower. We pondered whether this store, very close to the Mayflower II replica ship and the Plymouth Rock memorial, was one of John's early entrepreneurial endeavors in the new world. ;-)
Here is the Plymouth Rock Monument.
A close-up of the rock.
The William Bradford Monument, which says: William Bradford, Governor and Historian of the Plymouth Colony
Born in Austerfield, England - 1590
Died in Plymouth, New England - 1657
On another portion of the monument is this quote from Bradford's Plymouth Plantation:
"Lastly (and which was not least) a great hope, & inward zeall they had of laying some good foundation (or at least to make some way therunto) for ye propagating & advancing ye Gospell of ye Kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of ye world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping stones, unto others for ye performance of so great a work."
And another Bradford quote from the monument:
"So they lefte ye goodly & pleasante citie, which had been their resting place nere 12 years; but they knew they were Pilgrimes, & looked not much on those things, but lift up their eyes to ye heavens, their dearest cuntrie, and quieted their spirits."
At Burial Hill we found two Hayden gravestones, which we hope to research and determine how, if at all, we are related. 
The second of the Hayden gravestones.
William Bradford's gravestone at Burial Hill.
Another view of Bradford's gravestone.
Susanna on Fair Street with the two churches in the distant background.
My family with Charmagne on Fair Street. The stone church is Unitarian, and the white church is the Congregational Church of the Pilgrimage, which was started after the 1801 Unitarian controversy, according to Dr. Paul Jehle.
This is my favorite spot in Plymouth, the Forefather's Monument. Dr. Jehle tells all about the monument in his book, Plymouth in the Words of Her Founders. The large figure is Faith, holding a Geneva Bible in her left hand, raising her right forefinger toward heaven, with a star of honor and importance on her forehead, and with her left foot stepping on Plymouth Rock.
A marker at the monument.
This panel tells us that a grateful people erected the monument to remember the forefathers' (Pilgrims') "labors, sacrifices, and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty."
One of the four large figures under Faith is Morality, who holds a tablet of the Ten Commandments and a scroll of Revelation. Her collar is similar to the breastplate worn by Israel's High Priest, symbolizing the priesthood of each Pilgrim, according to Dr. Jehle.
Law holds an oustretched hand to the victim in mercy and the statute laws of the society, according to Dr. Jehle.
Education wears a wreath of learning on her head and points to the book of knowledge. According to Dr. Jehle, the Pilgrims had high literacy due to home education.
According to Dr. Jehle, Liberty's ". . . symbolism . . . exceeds the others as it depicts the progression of liberty from the internal (religious) to the external (civil)." Among these symbols are a slain lion (symbolizing Satan) on his back, broken chains at his feet, and a sheathed sword in a defensive position.
Here is one of the two panels listing the Mayflower Pilgrims.
The second panel with the Mayflower Pilgrims listed.
One of my favorite Bradford quotes on yet another panel.
Eight statuettes, one on each side of the four large figures below Faith, include The Prophet, The Evangelist (pictured), Justice, Mercy, Youth, Wisdom, Tyranny, and Peace.
"Embarkation." This Alto-Relief depicts the Pilgrims leaving Leyden, Holland, in 1620. 
Signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620, written aboard the Mayflower in Provincetown harbor after the Pilgrims were blown off course from their intended destination in northern Virginia, according to Dr. Jehle.
Landing of the Pilgrims on Monday, December 11, 1620.
Alto-Relief of the Peace Treaty with the Indians, which started more than 50 years of unbroken peace between the Pilgrims and their nearest neighbors, according to Dr. Jehle. 
Susnanna and Josh pose for a pic in front of the Monument to the Forefathers. We had a great time during our brief visit to Plymouth!
posted by C.S. Hayden @ 5:30 PM
4 Comments:
Great seeing you all last week! Neat post!
Thanks, Jason. I enjoyed seeing you last week, as well. What a glorious time it was!
Wow, looks like the Reformation 500 was great! I enjoyed the report very much. It reminds me of the Jamestown 400 I attended 2 years ago. Thanks for the report and the pictures!
God bless,
Melinda
Wow, looks like the Reformation 500 was great! I enjoyed the report very much. It reminds me of the Jamestown 400 I attended 2 years ago. Thanks for the report and the pictures!
God bless,
Melinda
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