The legendary landing place of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims, who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620, is Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims did not mention Plymouth Rock in any of their writings; the first recorded reference to it dates from 1715, when it was described as "a big rock" in the town border documents. Old Thomas Faunce made the first documented allegation that Plymouth Rock was the landing spot of the Pilgrims in 1741, 121 years after the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth.
The granite was broken in half during an attempt to transport it to Plymouth's Town Square in 1774. In 1834, a part of the statue was transported from Town Square to Pilgrim Hall Museum. In 1880, it was reunited with the remaining portion of the rock, which was remained on the beach of Plymouth Harbor. At the time, the year 1620 was engraved. The rock is currently protected by a McKim, Mead & White-designed granite canopy.
While the original Pilgrims may never have visited
Plymouth Rock, it still attracts people of all kinds, even today. It
attracts upwards of a million visitors each year. Sure, the stone's
little size and hazy historical provenance are a letdown, but thanks
must also be given that such a massive icon of America has survived for
so many years.
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