Thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation

Now I know I said that all of our history related sight-seeing was going to (someday) go on the home school blog, but I couldn't resist giving just a small preview into some of the amazing things we were able to see and do while spending the month in Boston. In fact, this post might sum up the most amazing thing we were able to see and do. It's a hard call to make, but I can say for sure that it's at least in the top five.

So, getting to the post...

When we started our American History unit this fall, we picked up right where we left off last summer--with the Pilgrims and the Indians. We did a little bit of learning about the Pilgrims and the Indians this summer when we planted our garden in the historic "three sisters" method, (see the post on the home school blog) but for the most part we saved the more comprehensive look at these early settlers for the fall. Consequently, when we were looking over potential sight-seeing trips during our month in Boston, Plymouth Plantation definitely topped the list. In some ways, I wanted to go there very first and let the Pilgrims fall chronologically where they should on our sight-seeing tour. I had to put aside this compulsion; however, and save Plymouth Plantation for a more special occasion--Thanksgiving Day. And in the end, it was well worth the wait.

We awoke early on the morning of Thanksgiving, packed an overnight bag, (we were headed for a weekend in Cape Cod after our Thanksgiving adventures) and loaded into the car. We had actually visited Plymouth the day before as a kind of preview day--watching the introductory video introducing Plymouth, visiting the hands-on portions of the park, and touring the Mayflower II--but we saved the Pilgrim Village and Wampanoag Homesite for our Thanksgiving Day Escapade. Consequently, as we drove the forty minutes from our house in Boston back to the site, we were all unusually excited. We knew in advance that this was going to be a Thanksgiving Day to remember.

Upon entering the park, we took a little detour through the gift shop before heading over to the Villages. On our preview trip, I had happened to notice they had some amazing children's dress-ups on display in the gift shop, and I simply had to point them out to my girls and Spencer before we re-entered the park. I knew before hand what the result of this detour would be, but knowing how Nick loves to "waste" money, I let the kids appear the instigators of the extra-curricular purchase. And while Nick grumbled and dragged his feet, we eventually left the gift shop looking much more suited for a trip to Plymouth then when we arrived. It was initially hard for Nick to understand how allowing the kids to dress-up in period clothing could possibly contribute to their over-all learning outcome in Plymouth, but it didn't take long for the change in the kids demeanor to sink in. (It also didn't take long for all of the stares and complimentary comments from staff and guests to boost his fatherly pride as well.) The girls were immediately transformed by their colonial dresses into delightful Pilgrim children, and Spencer, though he only wanted to wear a pilgrim hat, took his job of navigating with his new colonial compass very, very seriously. He led the way and we all made the trek to our first stop--the Pilgrim Village.





As anyone who has visited Plymouth Plantation knows, the Village is set up just as it would have been when the Pilgrims lived there, complete with in-character Pilgrims. It's a bit dis-arming at first, but these Plymouth residents act their part incredibly well--never breaking character for even a moment. They go about their daily lives as though no tourists were poking into their private business, often asking for your help in their many daily duties. The kids absolutely soaked this up. Maddi helped gather and crush herbs,



Spencer observed and directed the making of a ladder,



Mason rounded up the chickens,



and Emma, well, she did her part too, though she chose a job mommy wouldn't have volunteered for. For those of you who know our little Emma well, you won't be surprised to know that the job she most wanted to help with was this...



plucking the turkey. And yes, that's a real turkey. The Pilgrim woman wrung it's neck and then hung it up to be plucked. Emma was absolutely enthralled with this task, and to be fair, she really was quite helpful. I think she pulled out as many feathers as the Pilgrim mother. And when she wasn't plucking, she busied herself by studying the face, and especially the glassy eyes of our soon to be cooked Thanksgiving feast. It totally grossed me out, but Emma simply couldn't be pulled away. Even when we did move on, we later realized that Emma had disappeared and was only to be found back at the turkey. 

Eventually, however, we did find a job that all of the kids, even Emma, seemed to prefer: hoeing. Who knew? They stayed and hoed the rocks for over a half an hour.



And while they hoed, people lined up to take their pictures. Several of the other tourists thought that they were Pilgrim children for real, and they snapped photo after photo. One brave tourist even asked the pilgrim mother if she could have her picture made with the kids, to which the woman simply shrugged her shoulders. That lead to an even bigger line of guests who wanted to have their pictures made with the "adorable pilgrim children." When I eventually cut off the photo sessions, the people watching them were shocked to learn that we too were tourists in the park. They all looked a little embarrassed, but we assured them that the kids loved all of the attention and then went on our merry way. (And I confess, even the mommy pride was pretty much swelling at that point.) It was too bad for the rest of the line of people, but we had no choice. We had a sermon to catch. Paster William Brewster, senior elder of the Plymouth colony and adviser to Governor William Bradford, gave a stirring sermon to the gathered tourists. We were all sufficiently called to repentance! At the end of the meeting we all joined together in some Pilgrim hymns and then the good Paster was kind enough to open the floor for questions and pictures. Here is little miss Maddi with the famed religious leader.



After the sermon, the kids resisted leaving the village and instead made themselves even more at home. They played in the dirt, ran sticks along the fences,



and posed for more pictures here and there.





It was exactly the day I had envisioned. One of the highlights of the day that I didn't envision; however, was out time spent in the Mary Chilton home. Mary Chilton, daughter of James and Susannah Chilton, was one of the passengers on the Mayflower ship. She was thirteen at the time of the voyage, and is said to have been the first female passenger to step ashore at Plymouth. Though both of her parents would die within the first two months of being at Plymouth, Mary survived. She was present at the first Thanksgiving and would later marry John Winslow and become the proud mother of ten children. A few days before our trip to Plymouth Plantation, Grandma Hoskins called and proudly announced that after doing some family history research, she was able to find out that our kids were in fact descendants of this brave Pilgrim forerunner. The kids were tickled to learn that they had an ancestor aboard the Mayflower, and even more tickled when they got the chance to meet her in the village. She stayed perfectly in character during our visit, laughing at our claims to be her great-grand children several times over, but she nevertheless talked for over an hour with the kids answering question after question about her life and showing the kids all around her home. It was awesome! And right there, in that little Pilgrim house, I think the family history spark came alive in all of us. It's amazing how learning about your ancestors can deepen the connection you feel to history. Thank you Grandma Hoskins for taking the time to find and share this fun fact that really made our Plymouth day come alive!



After spending hours at the Pilgrim village, we finally pulled the kids away and made a brief stop-over at the Wampanoag Indian Homesite before heading over for our dinner reservation. (Did I mention yet that we were having Thanksgiving dinner at Plymouth Plantation!? Oh, we're getting to that!) The Wampanoag Indian Homesite was very reminiscent of the Powhatan Indian Village we visited at Jamestown. The kids admired the animal skins, weaponry, and beaded moccasins, and then got an ear-full from an old Wampanoag Elder in this Indian "wetu". Unfortunately, her disdain for the "englishman" and any of his posterity was highly offensive, so we cut out after not too long. Nick and I both wondered aloud to each other how such a bitter woman could come to work at such an important historical site, but we decided not to dwell on her commentary for long. Instead, we turned our attention to the Thanksgiving feast awaiting us back in the conference center.



When we made the decision to book the Harvard away rotation back at the the start of our Mayo experience, it was quite hard to pick which month we would most want to visit in. It was especially hard for me to resist an October visit, with all of the fall foliage splendor Boston, and the whole northeastern coastline has to offer at this time of year. However tempting that was, the once-in-a-lifetime chance to eat at Plymouth Plantation on Thanksgiving Day won out in the end. As a home school mother and self proclaimed history buff, I simply had to give my kids this amazing opportunity. Heck, I didn't want to miss out on any of the excitement myself! During our four month American history class, I have come to love the Pilgrims like I do the Mormon pioneers. They are a most noble historical people; God-fearing, and God-led to this great land. That first Harvest feast, which they shared with their Wampanoag neighbors, was an occasion worth celebrating, even centuries later. And celebrate we did.



Just for fun, I pulled a copy of the menu for our holiday feast off of the Plymouth website to include in this post, and can I just say--It was Yum!
 

Menu Accompaniments:

• Fall Harvest Fruits and Assorted Nuts
• Relish Tray
• Wood Pressed Apple cider

Appetizer

• Split Pea Soup

Main Course

• Roast Native Turkey with Giblet Gravy
• Traditional Stuffing with Bell’s Seasoning
• Mashed Potatoes
• Butternut Squash
• Steamed White Turnip
• Harvard Beets
• Creamed Onions
• Cranberry Relish
• Hot Crusty Rolls
• Cider Cake
• Ginger Bread

Desserts

• Indian Pudding
• Homemade Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Pie

To be on Plymouth Plantation, eating a traditional Pilgrim feast, (minus the eels--for which we were all grateful) with Pilgrim role players and Native interpreters as our character dining hosts, was truly something we will never forget. 

At the end of the dinner a few of our character hosts sang us a Pilgrim hymn of Thanksgiving, and then escorted us to the Park Entrance.



Our bellies and hearts were indeed full of gratitude. Thank you Plymouth Plantation for a lovely Harvest Feast. I don't think I will ever see Thanksgiving in the same way again. That day, Thanksgiving became a true American Holiday to me, equal to the commemoration of our nation's birth which we celebrate every 4th of July. Our national independence might have been declared that day, with the inspired constitution and democratic body of government close on its heels, but the true birth of America might well have been this three day harvest festival 150 years earlier. Through God's good grace, the Pilgrims had survived. The path was laid for others to follow. The dream of a new home where a people could serve God "according to the dictates of their own conscience" was realized for some, and planted in the hearts of others. Planted, and nurtured, and realized, over and over again--one settler at a time--until eventually the family of original pilgrims grew into a colony, and then a nation. That is our heritage as Americans, a heritage I am proud to claim. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!