Free previewStop 2 of Plymouth Walking Tour: Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims
The Museum That Kept Half a Rock
You're on Court Street now, in front of Pilgrim Hall. Look at the six tall columns holding up that triangle of a roof, like a small Greek temple dropped into a New England town. Behind them is a building of Quincy granite, designed by the architect Alexander Parris. It has been doing the same job since 1824.
The story starts four years earlier. In 1820, the 200th anniversary year of the Mayflower's arrival, a group of locals founded the Pilgrim Society. Most of its founders were Pilgrim descendants, but the Society was open to anyone who shared an interest in preserving Plymouth's history. Their charter was ambitious for a small seaport: procure a suitable lot in Plymouth and build on it a home for the colony's past.
In 1824 Pilgrim Hall opened to the public. That makes it the oldest public museum in the United States in continuous operation.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 2 of Plymouth Walking Tour: Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims (2 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
