Pilgrim Hall Museum - Massachusetts Vacation---PART FIVE: I've Come To Look For America

 ~~~~~(I've)  Come to Look For America ~~~~~

Just in time for Thanksgiving!

“America's Museum of Pilgrim Possessions"  turned 200 in 2024!

That makes it the oldest continuously operating public museum in the USA~~~and it is quite amazing,  as you shall soon see.

When I mentioned to my friend Brian,  a 17th century living historian,  that my wife and I were planning a trip to Massachusetts and that Plymouth was going to be a part of our itinerary,  he insisted for us to visit the Pilgrim Hall Museum.  I'm glad he did,  for it was well worth it.  And I will visit again,  should I ever make a return trip.

Sadly,  my wife did not get to visit this awesome museum,  for she was in the hospital fighting a pretty major battle with a kidney stone,  which I affectionately called  "Plymouth Rock"~~

However,  she did get to visit the Plimoth Patuxet Open-Air Museum the day before,  but it was shortly after that - only a few hours after returning to our motel room - that she began the kidney stone symptons.  I'm planning to post about our visit to the Plimoth Patuxet Open-Air Museum next week,  on Thanksgiving Day.

As for my wife...while she lay in her hospital bed there in Plymouth,  she insisted that I go to the Pilgrim Hall Museum as planned,  which I did.

And here is my sort of pictorial journal of that visit.

I want to go back so she can see it - she loves the pictures I took

I hope you'll like  'em,  too.

~~~~~~~~~

~Pilgrim Hall Museum houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions,  revealing the stories of ordinary yet determined men and women building new lives and homes for their families in a new world.  On display are William Bradford’s Bible,  the only portrait of a Pilgrim  (Edward Winslow)  painted from life,  the cradle brought by expectant mother Susanna White on the Mayflower,  the great chair of the colony’s spiritual leader William Brewster,  and the earliest sampler made in America,  embroidered by Myles Standish’s daughter,  Loara.~

A friend mentioned that we should check out this museum...so we did!
I want to go back.

I would have loved to've seen a replica of the  "great iron screw"  that was used to repair a cracked main beam during a severe storm in the middle of the Atlantic.

 

 

A model of the Mayflower.

Next let's check out some of the 17th Century Personal & Household Items housed in the museum.  You'll find some actual pilgrim-owned items here as well.

To me,  seeing artifacts that once belonged to those who crossed the ocean on the Mayflower back in 1620 was like nothing I could've imagined.  History that I only read about was right there in front of me,  only separated by thick glass,  but I was that  close~~~it seemed to come to life right before my eyes.

Six Board Chest:  1600-1620 - The Netherlands
Family association:  William Brewster

There is a section for some of the 17th century bibles used by the Pilgrims.

William Bradford's Geneva Bible
London 1592
This is the surviving and well-documented bible linked to Bradford.

The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English,  preceding the King James Version by 51 years. 

Here is John Alden's King James Bible:

John Alden's King James Bible
London 1620

The information here is for the chair seen in the photo below:

Original early 17th century Pilgrim furniture~

Yeah...I see those bored visitors inside museums---"It's just a chair"...
they just don't get it.
And I don't get them.
I had such an indescribable feeling overcome me as I stood right in front of this piece of very early American history---a chair that once belonged to William Bradford!  

As with most of the historic collectibles shown in this posting,  rather than rewrite everything out that is written on the placard,  I thought it much easier to photograph each placard with the object it represents.  Here in the photo above,  for example,  is the information about the sword and scabbard in the picture below:

Sword and scabbard from the early 1600s.

Cannon placard

To think this cannon was built in the mid-1500s!

A bit of information~

A matchlock musket such as the one seen here was a type of early firearm,  typically a smoothbore musket,  that used a slow-burning,  matchcord to ignite the gunpowder. 

The term  "matchlock"  refers both to the overall firearm and its firing mechanism.

Historically,  wassailing involved a variety of customs,  including drinking and singing in orchards,  and the wassail dipper was an essential tool for these gatherings.  The practice of wassailing,  including the use of a wassail dipper,  is rooted in ancient traditions.

For the past forty years I've listened to wassails around Christmas time.
This was my first time ever seeing an original dipper.  
Hopefully one day I'll see an actual wassail bowl.

Artifacts with Pilgrim provenance turn up rarely.  When such an object is offered to the museum,  it is indeed cause for celebration!

In 1998,  the family of the late Mercy Ramsey Carl of Texas presented Pilgrim Hall with a carved wooden cup which was handed down in their family,  according to tradition,  back to the Allerton family.

The cup is made of walnut,  turned on a lathe and carved with this verse:

Lord help thy people that are in Destresse:

teach all true Christians for to help each other:

turne + the hard hart's that Doth the poore opresse:

teach them to know their needy Christian Brother:

Think on+the ritch mans flourishing estate:

Which cried out in hell+Blessed are the mercyfull+Wh-t was to late.

The date  "1608"  is carved on the bottom of the bowl.  According to decorative arts historian David Bostwick,  the cup is a wassail dipper cup,  similar in concept to the modern glass cups which come with a punch bowl.  Communal drinking of spiced wines and caudles  (wine or beer mixed with egg,  similar to egg nog)  was a large part of the hospitality in the 17th century.  The cup would have been kept on a sideboard or cupboard and used on special occasions.

According to family tradition,  the cup was passed down the female line to daughters named Mercy.  The earliest Mercy thought to have owned the cup is Mercy Soule Cushman  (b. 1741)  of Middleboro,  Massachusetts.  Mercy descended from such Firstcomers as John Faunce,  Patience Morton,  and Alice Carpenter Southworth Bradford.  Her husband Noah Cushman descended from Mary Allerton,  Thomas Cushman,  Robert Bartlett,  and Mary Warren.  It is very difficult to authenticate a  "Pilgrim"  object.  Small wooden cups seldom show up in documents like probate inventories but,  in 1633,  Mary Ring left a  "footed cup"  to her neighbor Elizabeth Warren.  A  "footed cup"  was called that because it had a raised base,  or "foot,"  that elevates it from the table.   Elizabeth's daughter married Robert Bartlett,  and Noah Cushman was one of their descendants.  This cup just might have been Mary Ring's  "footed cup."

A breastplate was a piece of protective armor made of metal,  designed to cover the wearer's chest and torso.

In the Pilgrim homes at Plimoth-Patauxet Village open-air Museum, 
we saw breast plates such as this in many of the homes.
So here is an original!

I took the photo of a breastplate inside one of the Pilgrim's homes in the
Plimoth Patuxet English Village.
I do not recall who's house this was.

I never knew this type of helmet was known as a  "lobster-tail".

"Lobster-tailed pot helmet was a type of combat helmet.  It was derived from an Ottoman Turkish helmet type.  From c. 1600,  it became popular in most of Europe and was especially worn by cavalrymen and officers.  The helmet gradually fell out of use in most of Europe in the late 17th century;  however,  the Austrian heavy cavalry retained it for some campaigns as late as the 1780s."

Here it is...direct from the 17th century~~~

When reading these placards,  I've noticed that nearly every one of them state that the objects they represent were donated as gifts to the Pilgrim Hall Museum.
I have nothing of this vintage,  but I did recently donate my cousin's impeccably kept Korean War uniform and trunk with accoutrements to a local Michigan Military Museum.  I mean,  it sat in a trunk untouched for over 70 years - - I have little interest in the Korean War,  so what am I  going to do with it?  By donating it to a museum others who have an interest can see it and possibly learn from it.  Plus it helps the Michigan Military Museum as well.

From what I've read,  this mortar was probably used for grinding herbs for
medicinal or cooking purposes.

Very interesting information.

This 10"  tall beer tankard is fashioned like a barrel  and was probably made
by a cooper  (barrel-maker). 
The tankard is made of oak staves fastened by birch hoops.

Associated with Myles Standish~~

A cooking pot was among the most practical things a family could bring on the Mayflower.  Pots were used to make pottage,  a staple of English diet similar to stew,  made with meat and vegetables.

Associated with William Brewster~

Imagine that this sword may have been in the original Pilgrim Village...
...possibly owned by William Brewester~~

In the early 17th century,  swords held a crucial significance for the Pilgrims settling in North America,  according to Project Gutenberg. 

The early years of the Plymouth Colony were marked by uncertainty and potential threats from wild animals and,  at times,  hostile encounters with Native American tribes.  Firearms of the era,  such as matchlock muskets,  were slow to load and reload,  making them less effective in close-quarters combat.  Swords provided a necessary backup weapon for hand-to-hand combat after a musket had been fired.

Pre-1650 spoon!

So,  just where has this thing been hiding for three hundred plus years before being donated to the Pilgrim Hall Museum?

I'm glad I took pictures of each placard,  for there is a lot to remember.

A Troopers Pistol was a large,  single-shot,  smoothbore muzzle-loading handgun designed primarily for use by mounted soldiers.
This Trooper's Pistol has a very unique look.

Imagine this actually being on the Mayflower~~

Each object,  including this cradle,  helps to give us a greater idea of how these Separatists lived,  and how people of that time lived in general.

Here is an old,  possibly Dutch,  painting from the 17th century.
Note the cradle.
There are many more similar paintings.

It's pretty amazing this hat was saved for all of these years.
But...where's the buckle?  lol
(note:  their hats did not have buckles as has been commonly shown)

Steeple-crowned hats,  usually with a decorative band,  were popular in Western Europe for both men and women in the early 17th century.  Beaver fur,  imported from the colonies,  was processed into felt to make hats.

We named our son Miles after Myles Standish.

Loara Standish,  daughter of Captain Myles Standish,  is thought to have made this sampler in her teens.  It is the earliest known American-made sampler and the earliest known sampler with a verse. 

Samplers of the 16th to mid 18th centuries served as permanent records of stitches and designs,  intended for reference,  unlike later samplers that were planned for display.  American samplers followed the British form,  as instruction in needlework passed from mother to daughter.

Typically,  Loara Standish’s sampler is long and narrow  (measuring approximately 7 1/4" wide x 23 1/2" tall)  with patterns arranged in horizontal bands.  Stitches,  worked in counted thread embroidery on very fine 50-count linen,  include Montenegrin cross,  long-armed cross,  back,  outline,  eyelet,  double running and arrow-head.  The rose,  carnation,  oak leaf and an intertwined  "S"  are among the stylized floral motifs above the verse.

Sampler created by Loara Standish.

Loara Standish,  daughter of Captain Myles Standish,  is thought to have made
this sampler in her teens. 

I wouldn't mind a replication of this in my own home.

Similar window styles as this were used into the 18th century.

Again...wonderful information.

The William Brewster Chair.

I always think of when Samantha on TV's Bewitched visited Salem,  Massachusetts whenever I hear  "bedwarmer."

I own two such items,  but neither are very old.

More information in the photo below:

A 17th-century turned chair is a style of chair made by shaping wooden parts on
a lathe while they spin.  These chairs,  also called  "spindle chairs"  or  "thrown chairs,"  feature turned legs,  posts,  and spindles,  and were popular in England,  Holland, 
and New England during the 1600s.

The chest pictured with this placard is beautiful.

Chest of drawers from around 1690 to 1740.

Do you know what  "delft"  means?

Delft is a city in Holland.
But it's much more than that:

Top:  As the 17th century progressed and the colony became more established, the emphasis was no longer merely on survival and utility.  Richer,  more luxurious and very colorful items such as this lobed dish reflect the improving economic situation.

This dish represents a form first turned on a potter’s wheel,  then molded in a two-part mold.  These dishes,  filled with water for rinsing hands,  played an important part in table manners before forks came into general use.  Delftware lobed dishes also functioned as serving plates.

Bottom:  Dishes such as this were first turned on a potter’s wheel and then molded in a two-part mold.  Lobed dishes were used as serving dishes,  or as bowls filled with scented water to rinse the hands  (a necessity,  before forks were common!).

I always wonder why would anyone save such items?
Or were they lost,  perhaps buried,  then found during an excavation?

Bottles of this type most commonly held spirits,  which the colonists considered to be healthier than water.  Bottles were sealed with corks,  held in place with thread or wire secured beneath the  "string rim"  at the top of the bottle.

I think it's wonderful to be able to donate such historic items.

Do you ever wonder where such items were found?
Were they put in an attic?  A chest?  
And just sat unknown for centuries...?
Then again,  family history was always of utmost importance...
I can't be the only one who thinks this way...
The backward  "exit"  is a reflection off the glass,  just in case you weren't sure.

Wow - according to the placard,  this was donated only 12 years after the museum's opening in 1834.

According to tradition,  this cabinet was brought on the Mayflower in 1620 by Pilgrim William White. 

Writing materials and valuables were stored in cabinets.  Craftsmen often used black paint to imitate fashionable  (and expensive)  lacquer work.  The front center drawers,  as well as the door over the front,  are missing.

Placard information~

Similar to the pewter candlestick below.

The placard.

As a collector of candlesticks,  I wouldn't mind one like this~

Similar to the cradle seen earlier,  it's items like these spectacles and the other daily life objects here that give us a wider perspective on life in the 17th century.

The frames of these armless spectacles are horn,  which has been wrapped in leather. 
The case is pine.

A standing cup is a cup on a pedestal.

Owned by Mayflower passenger William Bradford

A silver drinking cup owned by William Bradford,  Mayflower passenger,  second Governor of Plymouth Colony,  and author of Of Plymouth Plantation.  The goblet is 7"  high with the governor's initials  ‘W.B.’  on one side below the lip.  The hallmarked silver cup was handmade in London in 1634.  The Governor Bradford Cup is now jointly owned and exhibited by Pilgrim Hall Museum and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.

Here is the collection as presented inside the museum:

If you notice---third down on the far right pedestal is a brass/copper porringer
made in Portugal or Spain 1650-1750.
I didn't include it in its own photo because I didn't realize I had cut
 it off and I'm not sure what the part  missing looks like.

The following picture of the painted portrait from life of Edward Winslow was not taken by me.  For some reason,  I did not photograph the portrait so I had to find the same one on line,  which I did on THIS page.

This is the only known portrait of a Mayflower passenger,  Edward Winslow,  

which was painted from life in London in 1651.  It was created by an unknown 

English artist when Winslow was in his late 50s and is now housed at 

the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth,  Massachusetts.  

The portrait is believed to be the only likeness of one of the original Pilgrims 

that was created during their lifetime. 

There were also plenty of Wampanoag/Native objects as well.  However,  it was asked that visitors not take photographs of those items.  

I welcome you to explore the Pilgrim Hall Museum web site,  if you are not able to visit the actual museum in Plymouth,  Massachusetts).

Click HERE for the website.

But before we leave for this week:

The following photos were not taken at Pilgrim Hall Museum,  but are of a privately owned collection.

The owner of the items here is Brian Dewey,  a 17th century living historian and collector of  (mostly)  replicas of that time,  though he does have a few originals  (see below).  Many of the items seen here were purchased at the Plimoth Patuxet shop.
It's a great replication collection.

 

And below here we have a collection of Brian's originals from the Pilgrim period: 

Description of original artifacts of the Pilgrim-era --- 1580-1640
 ~Pewter broad rimmed plate with pewter spoon
~Warming cauldron pot
~Laborers beer jug
~Clay pipe
~Oil fat lamp
~Porringer bowl
~Sauce pot
~Drinking mug
~Wooden trencher plate
~Elizabethan seal spoon  
   ~table knife 

 

 

It's nearly a museum unto itself!

 

Because of the Pilgrim Hall Museum,  as well as my visit to the Mayflower II  (click HERE),  and,  of course,  my visit to the Plimoth Patuxet open-air museum,  which I will post on Passion for the Past next week,  I've had such an eye-opening experience.  I mean,  these Separatists...Pilgrims...were real people,  not the myths they've been made out to be!  No,  they did not wear black and white clothing with buckles on their hats,  but were living,  breathing humans with thoughts,  fears,  anger,  sadness,  frustrations,  happiness,  uncertanties...and they liked colors  (lol).   To think I saw all of this ancient American history right there---right in front of me!

I've come to look for America indeed~~~

Until next time,  see you in time.

Of course,  while in Massachusetts we did the Freedom Trail in Boston  (click HERE),  

the Battle Road Tour from Lexington to Concord  (click HERE),  

and also click HERE to check out the awesome Concord Museum.  

Then we toured Mayflower II,  a replication of the original ship  (click HERE).

Some of the extra information for today's post came from THIS Pilgrim Hall Museum site

To watch a couple of high quality films about the Pilgrims and their adventures,  please click my review post HERE

Vacation