"The breaking waves dashed high
On a stern and rock-bound coast."
Thus begins Mrs. Hemans' beautiful hymn on the landing of the
Pilgrims. Unfortunately for the poetry, however, sand is everywhere
about, and scarcely a rock or boulder can be seen for miles, excepting
the very little one on which they landed. Down near the water-side is
this sacred stone, worshipped by all the Pilgrim descendants, the
retrocession of the sea having left it some distance back. It is a
gray syenite boulder, oval-shaped, and about six feet long. It was
some time ago unfortunately split, and the parts have been cemented
together. At the time of the landing this boulder lay on the sandy
beach, partly embedded, being almost solitary on these sands, for
unlike the verge of Manomet to the southward, and the coast north of
Boston, this sandy shore is almost without rocks of any kind. Dropped
here in the glacial period, and lying partly in the water, the rock
made a boat-landing naturally attractive to the water-weary Pilgrims
when they coasted along in their shallop from Clark's Island, so they
stepped out upon it to get ashore dry-shod. The rock is in its
original location, but has been elevated several feet to a higher
level, is surmounted by an imposing granite canopy, and is railed in
for protection from the relic-hunter. The numerals "1620" are rudely
carved upon its side, and a sort of fissure in its face seems like the
impress of a foot. Surmounting the canopy is a scallop shell, the
distinctive emblem of the pilgrim. The scallop has been called the
"Butterfly of the Sea," and in the time of the Crusades, a scallop
shell fastened in the cap denoted that the wearer had made a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Thus it is said in the _Hermit_:
"He quits his cell, the pilgrim staff he bore,
And fixed his scallop in his hat before."
Behind the Plymouth Rock rises the bluff shore into Cole's Hill,
having its steep slopes sodded, this having been the place up which
the Pilgrims climbed after the landing. A view to the front shows the
wharves, and across the bay the narrow sandspit protecting the harbor,
while on the right hand is the long ridge of Manomet, and over the
water to the left appear distant sand-dunes along Duxbury Beach. Off
to the northward rises the "Captain's Hill" of Duxbury, surmounted
with the monument to Captain Miles Standish, erected in 1889, rising
one hundred and ten feet. Upon Cole's Hill was the first burial-place
of the Pilgrims, and here were interred about half the intrepid band,
who died from the privations of the first winter. Their bones were
occasionally washed out by heavy rains, or found in digging for the
foundations of buildings, but all have been carefully collected, and,
with several of the dead thus exposed, were again entombed in the
canopy over Plymouth Rock. A little way to the southward is Leyden
Street, running from the water's edge for some distance back up the
slope to the side of the "Burial Hill," the first cemetery. This was
the earliest highway laid out in New England, although it did not
receive its present name until long afterwards. Upon this street the
Pilgrims built their first rude houses, the lots extending southward
from it to the "Town Brook," a short distance beyond, which supplied
them with good water, and was the chief feature inducing them to
select this place for settlement.
The story of their landing is told in _Mourt's Relation_, written by
one of the actors in this great historical drama. After describing
their explorations and hasty selection of the place, he continues:
"So, in the morning, after we had called on God for direction, we came
to this resolution, to go presently ashore again, and to take a better
view of two places which we thought most fitting for us; for we could
not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals
being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of
December. After our landing and viewing the places so well as we
could, we came to a conclusion, by most voices, to set on a high
ground, where there is a great deal of land cleared, and hath been
planted with corn three or four years ago; and there is a very sweet
brook runs under the hillside, and many delicate springs of as good
water as can be drunk, and where we may harbor our shallops and boats
exceeding well; and in this brook fish in their season; on the further
side of the river also much corn-ground cleared. In one field is a
great hill on which we point to make a platform and plant our
ordnance, which will command all around about. From thence we may see
into the bay and far into the sea, and we may see thence Cape Cod. Our
greatest labor will be the fetching of our wood, which is half a
quarter of an English mile; but there is enough so far off. What
people inhabit here we know not, for as yet we have seen none. So
there we made our rendezvous, and a place for some of our people,
about twenty, resolving in the morning to come all ashore and to build
houses." About a week after landing they began constructing their
first fort on the hill, and allotted the plots of land on their
street, subsequently named Leyden. Thus the town was begun, and behind
it rose two hills, the one now known as the Burial Hill being at the
head of this street, and elevated about one hundred and fifty feet
above the sea. Miles Standish, with his military eye, for he had seen
veteran service in Flanders, selected this hill for the fort, and
here in 1622 was built the square timber block-house that made them
both a fort and a church, the entire settlement as it then existed
being enclosed with a stockade for further protection. This caused the
hill to be named Fort Hill, and it was not until long afterward that
it was used as a cemetery and called Burial Hill, the first interred
being some of the original Pilgrims after the graveyard on Cole's
Hill, down by the waterside, had been abandoned.
Upon Fort Hill was built the "Watch House," where an outlook was kept
for the Indians. Stones now mark the locations both of the fort and
the watchhouse, and surrounding them are the graves of several of the
"Mayflower" Pilgrims, with many of their descendants, the dark slate
gravestones having been brought out from England. There is a fine
outlook from Burial Hill, far over the sea to the distant yellow
sand-streak of Cape Cod. About a half-mile northward is the other
hill, rising somewhat higher, and upon it is the National Monument to
the Pilgrims, dedicated in 1889. This is a massive granite pedestal
forty-five feet high, surmounted by the largest stone statue in
existence, a colossal figure of Faith, thirty-six feet high, and
adorned by large seated statues emblematic of the principles upon
which the settlement was founded, representing Law, Morality, Freedom
and Education. Upon this great monument are also representations of
the landing of the Pilgrims, their names, and the "Mayflower
Compact." It was into this infant colony of Plymouth, after some weeks
of careful parley and investigation, there strode the stalwart Indian
Samoset, making their acquaintance and paving the way for the
subsequent treaty and alliance with Massasoit, which for many years
was scrupulously observed by both parties, and not broken until after
he died. Canonicus, of the Narragansetts, to the southward, sent to
the colony after Massasoit's death a sheaf of arrows bound with a
rattlesnake's skin as a token of hostility. Governor Bradford did not
want war, but he knew they must maintain a brave outlook, so he
promptly filled the skin with powder and shot and sent it back to
Canonicus, who understood the grim challenge, and fearing the deadly
musketry, prudently restrained the hostile instincts of his tribe. The
privations of the first year, which killed half the settlers, and were
only relieved by succor from England, are said to have originated the
New England Thanksgiving Festival Day, which has since spread over the
whole country. In December, 1621, they had their first Thanksgiving,
upon the arrival of a relief ship from abroad. Such was the dawning of
the ruling race of the American nation.