Pilgrim Memorial State Park centers on Plymouth Rock, a large glacial boulder left in the harbor and smoothed by centuries of tidal wash. The rock is both a landmark and a symbol of the courage and faith of the men and women who founded the first New England colony. Tradition holds that the Pilgrims first stepped here when they arrived in December 1620, on land long inhabited by Wampanoag, or Pokanoket, Native Americans whose sachem, Massasoit, befriended them, and without whose help they likely would have starved soon after arrival. Here the Pilgrims began their new lives in North America as the Mayflower anchored offshore. The site of Plymouth Rock is now a landscaped park with historical and recreational features, including Cole’s Hill, where many early Pilgrims are buried and several organizations have memorialized their connections to the Pilgrims, as well as works of art honoring people and events in Plymouth’s history.

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Plymouth, Massachusetts · USA