PLYMOUTH ROCK - PILGRIM MEMORIAL STATE PARK
Large rock sheltered in an open structure on the edge of the bay, on which is engraved the date of 1620 in Plymouth
This large rock with the date 1620 engraved on it is said to represent the place where the pilgrims disembarked from the Mayflower. It is housed in an open structure on the edge of the bay, at sea level. Whether or not the rock marks the spot where the Pilgrims landed is unclear - indeed, it has been the subject of much debate since the 18th century! Although it's impossible to get close and touch it because it's protected by fences (before they were installed, tourists had the unfortunate tendency to steal small pieces and bring them back as souvenirs), it's easy to see that a large crack runs through the rock: it broke in two in 1774, when an attempt was made to move it to Plymouth's Town Square. It wasn't until 1880 that the two pieces of rock were reassembled.
Plymouth Rock is part of Pilgrim Memorial State Park, founded in 1920 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers. The park also includes a granite monument, The National Monument to the Forefathers, which was completed in 1889 and also pays tribute to the Pilgrims. It stands about a mile from the rock. Its broad pedestal is surmounted by Faith, a heroic statue holding a bible and pointing its index finger towards heaven. Morality, Law, Education and Liberty, the other founding principles of the Pilgrim Fathers, are represented by smaller statues.
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