Cole's Hill
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Cole's Hill is a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
containing the first
cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
used by the ''Mayflower'' Pilgrims in
Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...
in 1620. The hill is located on Carver Street near the foot of
Leyden Street Leyden Street (Originally named First Street, afterward in the Records called Great and Broad Street; named Leyden Street in 1823, also known as Leiden Street or The Street), is a street in Plymouth, Massachusetts that was created in 1620 by the P ...
and across the street from
Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the ''Mayflower'' Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620. The Pilgrims did not refer to Plymouth Rock in any of their writings; the first known writt ...
. Owned since 1820 by the preservationist Pilgrim Society, it is now a public park.


Description

Cole's Hill rises steeply from the shore of
Plymouth Bay Plymouth Bay is a small, well-protected bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the western shore of larger Cape Cod Bay along the coastline of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Plymouth Bay retains historical significance for the landing at Plymouth Rock in ...
, near
Plymouth Rock Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the ''Mayflower'' Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620. The Pilgrims did not refer to Plymouth Rock in any of their writings; the first known writt ...
, the traditional landing site of the Pilgrims in 1620. It is now bounded by Water, North, Carver, and
Leyden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
Streets. The hill is landscaped with grassy areas, low shrubs, and some trees, and trails wind their way around the hill. A granite staircase rises from Water Street to the summit of the hill. A number of monuments and memorials are on the hill, most of which date to the tercentenary (300-year anniversary) celebration of the Pilgrim landing in 1920. These include a
Cyrus Dallin Cyrus Edwin Dallin (November 22, 1861 – November 14, 1944) was an American sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans. He created more than 260 works, including the ''Equestrian Statue of Paul Revere'' in Boston, Massac ...
statue of the
Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...
sachem
Massasoit Massasoit Sachem () or Ousamequin (c. 15811661)"Native People" (page), "Massasoit (Ousamequin) Sachem" (section),''MayflowerFamilies.com'', web pag was the sachem or leader of the Wampanoag confederacy. ''Massasoit'' means ''Great Sachem''. Mas ...
(''c.'' 1581–1661), whose support was critical to the Pilgrims' survival. At the southern end of the hill stands a granite sarcophagus erected by the
General Society of Mayflower Descendants The General Society of ''Mayflower'' Descendants — commonly called the Mayflower Society — is a hereditary organization of individuals who have documented their descent from at least one of the 102 passengers who arrived on the ''Mayflower'' ...
in 1920. It contains skeletal remains accidentally disinterred from the hill in the 18th and 19th centuries, which are believed to be those of ''Mayflower'' settlers buried here in the winter of 1620-21 when 52 out of 102 died. Two stone benches, one placed by the Pennsylvania Society of New England Women, the other by the Society of the Daughters of Colonial Wars, face seaward.


History

The Pilgrims built their first houses on Leyden Street rising from the side of Cole's Hill to
Burial Hill Burial Hill is a historic cemetery or burying ground on School Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Established in the 17th century, it is the burial site of several Pilgrims, the founding settlers of Plymouth Colony. It was listed on the Nat ...
, and the hill was used in 1620–1621 as a burial ground during their first winter in New England. It is not known whether Cole's Hill was used again as a burying ground between that winter and 1637 when the main town cemetery was established at what is now called
Burial Hill Burial Hill is a historic cemetery or burying ground on School Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Established in the 17th century, it is the burial site of several Pilgrims, the founding settlers of Plymouth Colony. It was listed on the Nat ...
. Among those whose remains may have been interred on Cole's Hill are John Carver, Elizabeth Winslow, Mrs.
Mary Allerton Mary Allerton Cushman (c. 1616 – 28 November 1699) was a Dutch settler of Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts. She was the last surviving passenger of the ''Mayflower''. She arrived at Plymouth on the ''Mayflower'' when she was about ...
,
Rose Standish A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
, Christopher Martin, Solomon Powers, William Mullins, William White,
Degory Priest Degory Priest (c. 1579 – c. 1621) was a member of the Leiden contingent on the historic 1620 voyage of the ship ''Mayflower''. He was a hat maker from London who married Sarah, sister of Pilgrim Isaac Allerton in Leiden. He was a signatory to th ...
,
Richard Britteridge Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
and
Edward Tilley Edward Tilley (c. 1588 – c. winter of 1620/1621) traveled in 1620 on the historic voyage of the ship ''Mayflower'' as a Separatist member of the Leiden, Holland contingent. He was a signatory to the Mayflower Compact, and died with his wife in ...
and Thomas Rogers. The total burials may have been between 45 and 50. Cole's Hill was later deeded to
Samuel Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and World War II veteran known for directing low-budget B movie, genre movies with controversial themes, often ...
(''c.'' 1580–1633), a church deacon and the colony's physician. It afterward became the property of James Cole, who arrived in 1633 and kept a tavern on the hill in the 1640s. It is from him that the hill's name derives: "Cole's Hill" first appears in town records in 1698. Older oral tradition, however, maintained that the first burying ground of the Pilgrims was here. The hill soon lost its identity as a cemetery. Its commanding view of
Plymouth Harbor Plymouth Harbor is a harbor located in Plymouth, a town in the South Shore region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is part of the larger Plymouth Bay. Historically, Plymouth Harbor was the site of anchorage of the ''Mayflower'' where the ...
made it a natural site for
defensive works A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. In 1742, the General Court of Plymouth granted a sum of money to the town to erect a battery here. In 1775, the old defense having gone to seed, a new one was built and manned and continued to be kept up during the Revolutionary War. In 1814 still another fort was thrown up here and its commander was placed in charge of companies of soldiers who were billeted in the town. In the 18th and 19th centuries, various remains were uncovered at Cole's Hill and attributed to the victims of the winter of 1620–21. This seemed to substantiate the earlier oral tradition. Between 1735 and 1883, the remains of at least 11 people were recovered. A summary of these was provided by John A. Goodwin:
In a storm of 1735 a torrent pouring down Middle Street made a ravine in Cole's Hill and washed many human remains down into the harbor. In 1809 a skull with especially fine teeth was exposed. In 1855 these graves were exposed in laying the public conduit on Cole's Hill. In one grave lay two skeletons, pronounced by surgeons male and female. The man had a particularly noble forehead; and it was fondly surmised that here were the remains of Mr. and Mrs. Carver. These found a new grave on Burial Hill; but the other relics, with barbaric taste, were placed in the top of the stone canopy over Forefathers' Rock. In 1879, during some work on the southeast side of the hill, many more bones were unearthed, and some, with questionable taste, were carried away by the spectators in remembrance of their "renowned sires"...Goodwin, John A. (1879), ''The Pilgrim Republic'' (pg 158 ootnote of the Tercentenary
920 __NOTOC__ Year 920 ( CMXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * December 17 – Romanos I has himself crowned co-emperor of the Byza ...
Edition of this work.)
The fact that some of the skeletons were laid out on an east–west axis with heads to the west—a long-standing tradition with Christian burials—is taken as evidence that these were not
Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...
Indian remains. Additionally, the fact that no personal items were buried with the bodies further suggests that they were European burials. (Photographs of some of the bones, ''circa'' 1920, are on display at the nearby
Pilgrim Hall Museum The Pilgrim Hall Museum at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts is the oldest public museum in the United States in continuous operation, having opened in 1824. History The Pilgrim Society, established in 1820, runs the museum. The museum t ...
). Meanwhile, Cole's Hill had been acquired by the recently founded Pilgrim Society in 1820. There was once a granite slab on the hill at the foot of Middle Street, describing the discovery of the bones and the location where they had been found. (This slab is now stored at the Town Farm.) An inscription stated:
On this hill The Pilgrims who died the first winter were buried. This tablet marks the spot where lies the body of one found Oct. 8, 1883. The body of another found on the 27th of the following month lies 8 feet northwest of the westerly corner of this stone. Erected 1884"
About 1920, the layout of Carver Street at the foot of Middle Street was moved somewhat to the west, which necessitated the purchase and removal of buildings. This was done to permit the erection of the present sarcophagus on the place where some bones had been found, as nearly as it could be determined. At this time the hill was transformed into a public park as part of the preparations for the tercentenary celebration. The existing buildings having been removed from the hill, paths and plantings were added. Cole's Hill was declared a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1960, and was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1966.Polly M. Rettig and Charles E. Shedd (December 10, 1974) , National Park Service and


Gallery

File:Cole's Hill in Plymouth MA.jpg, Cole's Hill from near Plymouth Rock File:Map of early Plymouth MA home lots.png, Map of early Plymouth home lots File:Cole's Hill marker in Plymouth Mass.jpg, Cole's Hill marker, in memory of James Cole (1600-1692), first settler of Cole's Hill File:Cole's hill, first burial place of the Pilgrims, Plymouth, Mass, by William S. Robbins & Co. 4.jpg, Stereoscopic view of Cole's Hill in late 1800s with the Plymouth Rock canopy to the left File:Massasoit statue plymouth 2007.jpg,
Massasoit Massasoit Sachem () or Ousamequin (c. 15811661)"Native People" (page), "Massasoit (Ousamequin) Sachem" (section),''MayflowerFamilies.com'', web pag was the sachem or leader of the Wampanoag confederacy. ''Massasoit'' means ''Great Sachem''. Mas ...
statue (1920), by
Cyrus Dallin Cyrus Edwin Dallin (November 22, 1861 – November 14, 1944) was an American sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans. He created more than 260 works, including the ''Equestrian Statue of Paul Revere'' in Boston, Massac ...
, at the top of Cole's Hill


See also

*
Funerary art in Puritan New England Funerary art in Puritan New England encompasses graveyard headstones carved between c. 1640 and the late 18th century by the Puritans, founders of the first American colonies, and their descendants. Early New England puritan funerary art conveys a ...
*
Myles Standish Burial Ground The Myles Standish Burial Ground (also known as Old Burying Ground or Standish Cemetery) in Duxbury, Massachusetts is, according to the American Cemetery Association, the oldest maintained cemetery in the United States. The burying ground is th ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 191 National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) within its borders. This is the second highest statewide total in the United States after New York, which has more than 250. Of the Massachusetts NHLs, 57 ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Plymouth County, Massachusetts __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth Coun ...


References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Plymouth Colony Buildings and structures in Plymouth, Massachusetts Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Cemeteries in Plymouth County, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth County, Massachusetts 1620 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Burial places of Mayflower passengers