Day 26 - Plymouth, MA (With a little history thrown in)

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Plymouth is on the agenda for today. Brooke and I went for a ride to check on the graves of my grandparents and family members in St Joseph's Cemetery. It's nice to know the names of your ancestors. I remembered a few names from when I was younger, or I recognized the names of others from family stories. My grandfather died 2 weeks after I was born. I never got to meet him, of which I am sad. My Nonee lived to a ripe old age and she was in my life for over 35 years. Her family lost a few members to the Spanish Flu, in the pandemic of 1918 and they are buried here.

We drove next to Plymouth Rock and the waterfront where I have visited since a young child. The Mayflower replica is undergoing a lengthy renovation project, and was due to return home this past spring in time for the town's 400th anniversary commemoration of the original landing in 1620. The Mayflower did not make it back yet but is still set to arrive sometime in 2020. Of course I had to carry on a decades's old tradition of buying an ice cream cone while we were there and today it was for my granddaughter, Brooke..

Across from Plymouth Rock is the statue of Massasoit, a native American who was here when the Pilgrims landed. In 1621 Massasoit signed a peace treaty with the Pilgrims and it marked a 40-year-period of peaceful relations. Massasoit was the intertribal chief of the Wampanoag Nation, whose people still live in New England today. We also view the National Monument to the Forefathers. This monument, originally called the Pilgrim Monument, is 81 feet tall, made of solid granite and was dedicated in 1889. It represents what motivated the Pilgrims to come to this new country. "Faith" is represented on the top, with her right hand pointing skyward and her left hand on the bible. 4 smaller pillars are "Morality" which stands above "Prophet" and "Evangelist". Under "Law" stand "Justice" and "Mercy"; Under "Education" are "Youth" and "Wisdom", under "Liberty" is "Tyranny Overthrown" and "Peace",

Nonee lived on Cherry Ct, in a home that my grandfather built, which I believe was in the 1940's. My grandfather lost everything in the great depression, including his home. He worked building one of the Cape Cod Canal bridges in the early 1930's. He told my mother about several men who fell into one of the cement column forms when they were pouring the cement and those poor soul are still buried there in the cement. Nonee's house was on a cliff and you could see across the bay to Duxbury and Myles Standish Monument. We drove by the house today and saw the view from the street. Myles Standish was an English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military adviser for Plymouth Colony. He came over on the Mayflower and played a leading role in the administration and defense of the Colony from it's inception, where he remained the first commander for the reminder of his life.He was also one of the first settlers and founders of Duxbury.

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Photos

My grandfather was born in Italy
He fought for our country in WW I

Nonee's house
My grandfather built it