24. Plymouth, Massachusetts

Join Jackie and Jon on an exploration through Plymouth Massachusetts and through the 17th Century Pilmouth (not a misspelling) Plantation.  They will discuss- the mysterious Plymouth Rock, the enterprising Plymouth Cordage Company, and the delicious 17th Century Cheesecake.

Jackie Reilly: Host
Jon Schaller: Host
Charles: Producer
Email: cozynookexplorers@gmail.com
Instagram: @cozynookexplorers

Community Shoutout:
Heidrea For Heroes

Mentioned In This Episode:
Plymouth Tourism Website
Plymouth Plantation Virtual Field Trip (Scholastic) 

Transcript

JACKIE: I’m Jackie 

JON: And I’m Jon 

JACKIE: And we are the Cozy Nook Explorers!

JON: Welcome to our show where we explore the world from our cozy nook here in a guest room in Southern CALIFORNIA using the power of the internet!

Jackie: Yes and it’s Wednesday which means it’s time for another exploration!  And it’s our Thanksgiving episode! I am so excited that we are making our way through the holiday season with the podcast! It just feels so festive, doesn’t it?  

Jon:  It really does. And since American Thanksgiving is almost here-

Jackie:  We figured now would be an excellent time to virtually visit Plymouth, Massacheutts- where it all began!

Jon: Must have Thanksgiving food.

Jackie:  There is SO much food to go through, but we can talk about food later.

Jon:  You are so right, so before we get into food Jackie what’s keeping you cozy this week?

Jackie:  Stuffing.

Jon:  I thought you wanted to talk about food later?  You were like let’s not talk about food now.

Jackie:  Well, I meant the other food. I can’t help that stuffing is keeping me cozy this week.  

Jon: Can’t help it? You chose it. 

Jackie: Well, stuffing has been one of my favorite foods for as long as I can remember, so I am obviously jazzed that Thanksgiving is coming up. That being said, my mom used to make big batches of stuffing and freeze it in little ziplock bags so that I could take a bag out of the freezer to microwave whenever I want. So, little Jackie had Thanksgiving all the time- it was great! Maybe I should start doing that again...

Questions:

• Do you prefer stuffing cooked in the bird or in the pan?  
• Have you ever felt stuffed from stuffing?   

Jackie:  What is keeping you cozy, Jon?

Jon:  Mashed potatoes and Gravy.

Jackie:  See- we just can’t get away from food this episode because it’s THANKSGIVING!

Jon:  So mashed potatoes are {explanation}

• Do you prefer plain mash potatoes or garlic?  
• Do you prefer skins or no skins in your mashers?

Jon:  So now that we are not talking about food shall we explore Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Jackie:  Let’s get into it.

Let’s Get Into It 

Jackie:  Ok, I need to start things out by talking about Plymouth Rock the Rock.

Jon:  So that is where you want to land first.

Jackie:  Booo to your bad jokes.

Jon:  I apologize, I regretted that immediately. 

Jackie: Jon, that was the worst joke I have ever heard. Charles is shaking his head. Ugh- awful. 

Jon: He’s not thankful? 

Jackie: Jon, please. Without Charles we don’t have a show.

Jon: I know, I know. Ok, what about Plymouth Rock did you want to talk about?

Jackie:  That no one knows if the rock they are calling Plymouth Rock was actually Plymouth Rock!  It is just a guess...

Jon:  I mean it is a pretty educated guess it would seem the most likely place to land.

Jackie:  But you can’t be certain of that.

Jon:  Well no because the Pilgrims got there in 1620 not a lot of ways to be specific about a rock.

Jackie:  Actually the Rock didn’t have any public notoriety until 1741.  You see they were going to build a wharf on top of Plymouth Rock.

Jon:  Oh no

Jackie:  And a 94- year old record keeper named Thomas Faunce told everyone that is where the Pilgrims landed and it became a national treasure ever since. Even though William Bradford and Edith Wilson who were the only two written first hand accounts of the settlers did not mention it.

Jon:  Nice

Jackie:  But the Rock they say is Plymouth Rock is not the whole rock even if it is the real rock.

Jon:  I don’t know what that means.

Jackie:  It broke apart 

Jon:  (silence)  Oh Plymouth Rock broke apart

Jackie:  What else are we talking about?

Jon:  Sorry it just took me a bit to understand what you meant.  So you may want to explain

Jackie:   So at some point they wanted to move the rock to dry land in 1921 and while they were moving it, the rock broke which is why it has a big crack in it. Also, apparently the original Plymouth Rock was 3x’s the size of the rock that we currently know as Plymouth Rock. 

Jon:  I wondered why it was so small.  I saw pictures and even though people are kept a pretty good distance away it is still pretty small.  With the numbers 1620 written on it.

Jackie:  Can you imagine if you were the person who broke Plymouth Rock.

Jon:  Yes because that sounds like something I would do.  And I would have to go hide somewhere.

Jackie:  Charles could help you with that. He’s very good at being a man of mystery. They were trying to protect the rock by putting it in the middle of the Plymouth Portico, but alas- it broke. 

Jon:  The portico is an overhang.  It is a white building that is very reminiscent of the columns of the White House.

Jackie:  That’s because it is a Neo-Classical Revival.  It’s like a petite Parthenon. 

Jon:  Oh that sounds fancy

Jackie:  Well you have seen it and it is fancy. It’s also inside the  smallest State park in Massachusetts. Pilgrim Memorial State Park.

Jon: But, it looks like it gets an enormous amount of tourists every year so, small but mighty.

Jackie:  It is the most visited state park in Massachusetts and the portico was built in 1921 by the same architects that built the original Penn Station in New York.

Jon: OH yeah

Jackie:  Do you remember their names?

Jon:  Oh NO

Jackie:  McKim, Mead, and White

Jon:  Mckim, Mead and White of course I need to remember them for the future

Jackie:  You should because we will more than likely come back to their work in future explorations.  

Jon:  Noted. And with that- welcome to Plymouth Massachusetts it is 85,745.6 acres which is about 171.5 Disneylands. 

Jackie; I have been to Massachusetts quite a few times, but never to Plymouth.

Jon:  What do you remember?

Jackie: The Food!!!!

Jon:  Hehehe

Jackie:  Oh the lobster bisque and the seafood of any type and all the New England goodness.  I also went to a GREAT wedding there- shout out to Brie and Ben!  

Jon:  Did you ever try 17th Century Cheesecake?

Jackie:  No- Where is this?!?! What is this?! I demand you tell me right now.

Jon:  I will get there- don’t worry. Plymouth is about 40 miles south of Boston and known as America’s Hometown.  Shall we talk about Pilmouth Plantation or the Mayflower II?

Jackie:  Well, if you’re burying the lead on the cheesecake, I would actually like to talk about the Wampanoag people.

Jon:  They are the indigenous people of the Plymouth, Massachusetts area.  According to anthropologists the Wampanoag people were in the area for 10,000 years before the settlers arrived. 

Jackie:  There was this village called Patuxet and they lost 90% of their population.

Jon:  Yes four years before the Pilgrims arrived Patuxet experienced devastating plagues. 

Jackie:  So by the time the english Pilgrim’s got there the village was basically empty.

Jon:  This was the reason that the Pilgrims were able to survive because all the land had been cleared and there were some basic structures that they could use for shelter.  That is why they did not die.

Jackie:  Well that and Tisqantum. (tis-quan-tum)

Jon: Yes those of you listening might know him better as Squanto.

Jackie:  Tisquantum had a harrowing life. He was kidnapped.

Jon:  Yes twice and he was sold into slavery in spain and then escaped to live with monks 

Jackie:  And then was returned to his village only to find out that his village was destroyed by the plague.  So he went to live in a nearby village.  

Jon:  When the Pilgrims arrived Squanto acted as an interpreter and a guide.

Jackie:  He even found a lost little boy for the Pilgrims. What?! Isn’t that nice.

Jon:  He did but he did lie to his people claiming that he had much more control over the English than he actually did.  In fact he told the Wampanoag that if they did not do what he said he would have the English release the plague from pits they had in their village. 

Jackie:  He ended up dying from a fever himself in 1622.

Jon:  It is striking that you could leave England in 1620, go to a completely different Continent and there would be someone who would speak English.

Jackie:  That’s how I feel when I travel to a different country. Almost everyone speaks english.  

Jon:  Speaking of travel I would like to travel to the Pilmouth Plantation.  

Jackie: Me too. Let’s take a quick break and talk about that when we get back.

Jon: See you soon.

Ad Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Friar:  Two Foods both alike in Deliciousness on the Thanksgiving Table where we lay our scene

Gravy:  Mashed Potatoes Mashed Potatoes wherefore art thou Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes:  See how she lies in that ladle.  O that I were a dolie on that ladle that I might touch that gravy

Gravy:  My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep; the more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite

Mashed Potatoes:  MMMMM Infinite Gravy 

Friar:  For never was a story of more woe than this of gravy and her mashed potato.  Coming Thanksgiving Day to your dinner table near you.

Let’s Get Into It 2

Jackie: Oh yes, so there are a lot of great historical sites in Plymouth, but I was personally really drawn to Plimouth Plantation.  It is a living history museum and they basically take you through the lives of the English settlers and the Native Wampanoag people during the 17th century. 

Jon: There are actors that portray different people who you would have met. You can interact with them and ask questions. It’s really neat that they give people the opportunity to experience what life would have been like back then.

Jackie: There is a great youtube video by Scholastic that takes you on a virtual field trip to Plimouth Plantation. I’ll include a link in the show notes. You get to meet some of the characters that you would meet if you were to go to the museum yourself. It’s really informative and you get to see how skillful the performers are. 

Jon: Yeah, I really enjoyed that video as well.  Something I found really interesting is that Plimouth Plantation spells Plimouth with an I instead of a Y because this would have been the more common spelling during the 17th century. 

Jackie: They didn’t have the same spelling rules as today...

Jon:  Or access to dictionaries

Jackie So people were more likely to spell things how they heard them.  Something we did learn in the video is that there WAS a fall harvest feast shared between the Wampanoag tribe and the settlers in 1621.  

Jon: There is a lot that we don’t know about this feast, but we do know it lasted 3 days and that there were about 50 settlers and 90 Wampanoag people present.  I think it’s important to note that the Wampanoag people were massacred by the settlers 16 years after this feast.  This is one of the many pieces of this history that gets brushed under the rug far too often. 

Jackie: Yes, there are quite a few things about the fall harvest feast that Thanksgiving is attributed to today that were left out of the story when I was learning about it as a kid. Like, even though many depictions of the feast are pilgrim-centric and make it appear as though the Native Americans did very little, there were actually almost double the Wampanoag people to settlers and the Native Americans also contributed a majority of the food.  The reason there were so few settlers at the feast was because even though 102 people came to America on the Mayflower, about half of the settlers died from the 2 month journey and the first winter. 

Jon: It was such a difficult journey. And they arrived during winter, so the men would need to take little boats to shore everyday to build their houses, but afterwards they would need to come back to the Mayflower to sleep at night because it was too cold. 

Jackie: Speaking of the Mayflower, you wanted to talk about the Mayflower II?

Jon: Yes. Mayflower II is located at the state pier in Pilgrim Memorial state park, the same park where Plymouth Rock is located.  It is a full scale reproduction of the ship from 1620!

Jackie: You know, Pilgrim Memorial State park is the smallest state park in Massachusetts, but there is so much to see. I feel like they should have given it a bit more land or something?

Jon: Yeah, I guess so. 

Jackie: Also, did you know that pilgrims weren’t called pilgrims?

Jon: Yeah, that name didn’t become popular until the 1800’s, but since so many people refer to the settlers as pilgrims it makes sense that it’s used a lot around Plymouth.

Jackie: They even have the Pilgrim Hall Museum! Where you can learn all about the- you guessed it- Pilgrims!

Jon: The museum opened in 1824 and it is the oldest continuously operating public museum in the country. 

Jackie: They have tons of artifacts from the 17th century, including some items that came over to America on the Mayflower like William Bradford’s bible. William Bradford is kind of the big cheese of the settlers. He was the governor of Plymouth for a long time, but we mostly know him because he kept a journal, so a lot of information that we know about the settlers comes from his point of view. If you want to visit his grave you can do so at Burial Hill.

Jon: Do you know what else was founded in 1824 other than that museum? The Plymouth Cordage Company.

Jackie: No way! 1824 was a big year for Plymouth!  The Plymouth Cordage Company used to be the largest manufacturer of rope and twine in the whole wide world!  They had a huge factory that was right on the water. They specialized in ship rigging and even made the rope used on the USS Constitution. 

Jon: They were Plymouth’s largest employer for more than 100 years. 

Jackie: They went out of business in 1964.

Jon: They were actually bought out and in really good standing when this happened, so I would say that’s a success in a lot of ways. They have a small museum that you can visit by appointment only in Cordage Park in North Plymouth. Well, I think that’s all I have.  Anything else?

Jackie: It is appropriate that Plymouth is called Plymouth because the settlers left England on the Mayflower from Plymouth, England.

Jon: Great. Anything else?

Jackie: Jon- you forgot about the 17th century cheesecake! You buried the lead too deep.  Cheesecake! Cheesecake! Cheesecake! 

Jon: Oh, yes- I did. It is delicious according to a number of people I have seen try it.  It is actually a tawny brown color and it is made with a pound of ricotta cheese and only a forth of a cup of sugar and believe it or not Rosewater.  It looks super rustic and-

Jackie:  I would like one now please. Will you make it?

Jon:  They only serve them in Pilmouth Plantation and I-

Jackie:  I would like one now

Jon:  We will try to sort this out after a quick word from our sponsor

Jackie: Cheesecake! Cheesecake! Come on Charles-

Ad- Stuffing

Jon: Hey Jackie, I got you some stuffing mixed with turkey as requested. 

Jackie: You did?! Thanks so much, Jon. You know it’s my favorite! Ugh- Jon- what is this made of?

Jon: Stuffing. It said it on the box.

Jackie: Jon, this is cotton mixed with turkey-

Jon: OH- Well, you didn’t clarify.

Jackie: Why in the world would I need to do that?

Jon: I thought you might have a hobby making stuffed animals. 

Jackie: Well, I don’t.  And why would I mix cotton with Turkey?

Jon:  Stuffed Turkey is a stuffed animal.

Jackie:  But, you don’t stuff a Turkey with Turkey.

Jon: Ohhhhh- Stuffing- Before you stuff have the right stuff.

Jackie: Ahhhh

Community Shoutout/ Outro 

Jon: Every episode we like to research and highlight something special in the community that we are exploring.

Jackie: Today’s community shoutout Heidrea (hi-dre-ah) for Heroes. 

Jon: This organization was founded in 2013 and they provide custom support services to our military veterans as they transition through civilian life.  They also provide service to military widows as well.  They have assisted over 700 veterans. 

Jackie: They are based out of Plymouth and offer service to surrounding counties. Their mission statement is to provide adaptive housing renovations, qualified home repairs, specialized mobility equipment, vehicle modifications, veteran/family support and workforce readiness programs that will alleviate challenges and make a positive difference in the lives of veterans and their families.

Jon: There are a lot of things to love about Heidrea for Heroes, but the thing I love the most is that they offer custom support for veterans. 

Jackie: Yeah, I think it’s really special that they are willing to look at really specific circumstances and try to help the best that they can. 

Jon: If you would like to support Heidrea for Heroes you can donate through their website. We will include the link in the show notes. 

Jackie: And while we are on the subject we wanted to be sure to say thank you for your service to all members of our military.  

Jon: Thank you for your service. 

Jackie: Well, that’s the show. Thank you so much to our spirited producer Charles.

Jon: Thank you Charles. 

Jackie: And thank you so much to our listeners.  We couldn’t be more grateful that you take the time to listen to our show!

Jon: If you’ve been enjoying this podcast please take the time to subscribe, rate us, and write a review on apple podcasts. It helps the show, so we’d really appreciate it!

Jackie: Also, tell your friends! If there is someone you know who would enjoy this podcast- please share!

Jon: You can also follow us on Instagram @cozynookexplorers or send us an email at cozynookexplorers@gmail.com. 

Jackie: We’d love to hear what’s keeping you cozy and we LOVE travel suggestions.

Jon:  We will be back in TWO Wednesdays with our next exploration.  

Jackie: Yes, on Wednesdays we explore!

Jon: Stay cozy, and we’ll see you soon.