1627 English Village

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I cooked my turkey, yams and pies in a modern gas oven.

Things were much different in 1627. When you enter the 17^th century at the English Village you meet staff not only dressed in period costumes but speaking in the dialect of the time. Unlike those you met in the Wampanoag Homesite, these staffers are role playing.

The Village is a re-creation of the village that was established in New Plymouth in 1621. By 1627 the original village had approximately 28 houses. The village at the Plimouth Plantation recreates only about half that number. Originally the colonists planted and cultivated nearly 200 acres, planting mostly corn, which was a new crop to them. The exhibit is only a small portion of that.

At the time of my visit there were quite a few “settlers” performing different tasks or trying to. Most were surrounded by a large number of visitors and were answering questions or explaining life or in some cases, just telling stories.

At the top of the main street is a fort. The fort was built for defense but it also doubled as a meeting house and a place of worship.

Turing to look back I was impressed by the sweeping view of Cape Cod Bay.

The location of the 1627 Village is not the actual location of the town the Pilgrims founded . That is actually where the modern town of Plymouth is now.

As I wandered around the village I noticed the chickens running loose. I felt bad for them because there were so many children here today that they were constantly being chased. The kids were far more interested in trying to catch a chicken than listening to what the role players had to say.

But back to the legend of the first Thanksgiving. When the fall harvest rolled around that year, it was a coincidence that the Indians came calling. The historical record seems to indicate that the Wampanoag came to the village to review the terms of the treaty they had with the colony, not to celebrate a good harvest. Whatever the reason, Governor Bradford invited them to stay and there followed 3 days of feasting. Undoubtedly there was turkey as there were many wild turkeys in the area, but there would have been other items such as deer (venison) and fish and shellfish from the bay. The bulk of the food for the “Feast” was provided by the Wampanoag guests.


Wild Turkeys in modern Plymouth



The myth of the first Thanksgiving would have you believe that the Indians and the Pilgrims were “friends”. They were more like uneasy allies. The Pilgrims needed the Indians because of their knowledge and survival skills in a wild and untamed world. The Wampanoag needed the alliance to help defend themselves from their mutual enemies, other Indian tribes of the area. So, much like today a political alliance was formed. In fact letters written by the colonists show contempt for the Native Americans and especially their religious beliefs.

In return the Wampanoag found the English to be “strange’ and “aggressive”. Eventually these differences and lack of respect for each other’s culture would lead to the devastating conflict known as “King Philip’s War”. Doesn’t seem like we humans have learned much in the ensuing years.

But back to the legend of the First Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims likely spent most of their Thanksgiving in religious services and it wasn’t until the late 1600’s that a bountiful meal was added at the end of a long day of prayer. It was during the 1800’s that Thanksgiving evolved to the modern version and the “Pilgrims’ became an iconic image of Thanksgiving in the minds of many Americans. That was also when the holiday moved from a regional New England Holiday to a National Holiday.

Leaving the English Village behind, I stopped briefly at the craft center where artisan’s demonstrate the way clothing and furnishings were made in the 1600’s . Today there was only one craftsman there as I poked my head in so I didn’t stay.

I returned to the Visitor Center where I enjoyed a turkey sandwich for lunch.



Fireplace in the dining room


Before I left The plantation for the Mayflower II I wanted to check out the Exhibit I had spotted when I first came in. Unfortunately there were a group of un-chaperoned children running around in there . When you stopped to look at an exhibit they would come whooping toward you and try to use you for a game of hide and seek around and  behind you. I gave up, and wandered on down to the Nye Barn.

 Check out the link below for more on the "real" story of Thanksgiving. Coming up next..The Nye Barn.
http://www.danielnpaul.com/TheRealThanksgiving.html