The Plymouth Antiquarian Society Preserves Priceless History

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The gardens are named after Rose T. Briggs, a devoted member of the PAS. "The Rose Briggs Memorial Garden is fully restored and open for visitors to walk and enjoy," said Donna. "We are now starting an "Up Front" campaign to re-landscape the front of the property to better support the many public activities we hold on the lawn overlooking the waterfront." The Hedge House lawn is home to the Antiquarian
Summer Fair, festivals and concerts. Historic tours of the house itself are offered in the fall and summer.

Sacrifice Rock may be the PAS's oldest and least known historic site. Located on Old Sandwich Road, it has an important story to tell.
Sacrifice pre-dates even Plymouth Rock and is an early landmark that was once an important stop for Indians. Travelers left small sticks or stones on top of the rock signifying sacrifice and asking for a safe passage. Generations of the Wampanoag Indians acknowledged this rock.
The rock was gifted to the PAS in 1928, and it is still possible for travelers to visit Sacrifice Rock today!

Burial Hill has been in existence since the early 1600's. The first pilgrims, passengers of the Mayflower, are buried here. Touring the cemetery is an exciting trip through history! You can visit the grave of William Bradford who made the voyage aboard the Mayflower and was the founder of the Plymouth colony. He was the governor for nearly 30 years. Mary Brewster is also buried at Burial Hill. She was one of very few women to not only survive the journey to Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower, but to survive the first winter as well. She helped cook the very first Thanksgiving meal.

Early grave markers were made of wood and did not survive the generations. The oldest stone marker at Burial Hill is that of wealthy merchant Edward Gray, dated in 1681. The last burial took place in 1957. The PAS offers a range of group tours and educational programs for adults and children at the sacred grounds of Burial Hill. "The response to our Burial Hill tours has been marvelous. I think kids certainly connect to our tours, especially the cemeteries at Burial hill. Graveyards are very special places for learning. We teach them what a head stone and a foot stone are, and that there is a real person buried there with a real history.
Preserving history is absolutely educational," said Donna Curtin.

There are over 2200 surviving grave markers on Burial Hill, representing only a fraction of those actually buried there. There are literally
thousands of specific historical figures with stories to be told. Dr. Donna Curtin shared some of her favorites: "One of the most interesting stones to me is that of Nancy Williams. Williams was an African-American woman who arrived here from Virginia, where she was very likely enslaved, just at the time the anti-slavery movement was beginning in New England. She is buried in a once segregated section of the Hill, and
her epitaph raises tantalizing questions about her experiences in Plymouth.

The stone reads: In memory of Nancy Williams, a faithful (African) servant in the family of Rev. F. Freeman. Died Nov. 21, 1831, aged 25 years. "Honor and shame from no condition rise: Act well your part;--there all the honour lies." This young woman made a dramatic transition from north to south, and possibly from slavery to greater freedom, though we know very little of her life beyond the inscription on her headstone."

"Nearby is the stone of Mary Banks Johnson, who ran away from slavery in Maryland and made her way to Plymouth in 1850. She would have been about 25years old. She found work, raised a family, and became a respected member of the AME church. Her son William became
the first African-American to graduate from Plymouth High School in 1870. Stories like these illustrate the long scope of Plymouth history and that it's more than just the early years of English settlement that matter. There were later generations of immigrants who arrived, struggled to establish themselves in new circumstances, persevered and became part of the community. They are part of Plymouth history, too,"
informed Donna.

The PAS is currently working in conjunction with the Plymouth Art Guild to restore a very important building, a privy that dates back to
A privy, also referred to as a necessary, is a toilet located in a small shed outside of the house. "During tours the kids often ask
'where did they go to the bathroom?'" said Donna Curtin. "There is nothing more basic to daily life then this sort of building. Privies
almost never survived from the colonial period. They were movable buildings, or had been converted in the 19th century into something else." The current building belonged to a wealthy Plymouth family that owned slaves. "We are investigating its history. It's beautifully built. We want to restore it and turn it into an exhibit," she added. To make a donation please visit the PAS website at
 www.plymouthantiquariansociety.org.

"Threatened historical resources and their wonderful architecture are worthy of recognition and preservation," Donna ardently stated. She went on to say, "there are still marvelous materials that come to light today. It's exciting for people when they trace back their family lines and connect it with a physical space. We want to fuel that kind of interest. It is important to remember the lived experience that has taken place
in history."

Memberships, fund raising events and contributions are vital to the success of PAS.
Please call Donna Curtin at 508-746-0012 for more information, or email: pasm@verizon.net.