The Pilgrim Hall Museum at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts is the oldest public

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in continuous operation, having opened in 1824.

History

The Pilgrim Society, established in 1820, runs the museum. The museum tells the story of the Pilgrims and

Plymouth Colony Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was, from 1620 to 1691, the first permanent English colony in New England and the second permanent English colony in North America, after the Jamestown Colony. It was first settled by the passengers on the ...

. Architect

Alexander Parris Alexander Parris (November 24, 1780 – June 16, 1852) was a prominent American architect-engineer. Beginning as a housewright, he evolved into an architect whose work transitioned from Federal style architecture to the later Greek Revival. Parr ...

designed the museum building, which is built of Quincy granite and opened in 1824. Russell Warren constructed a wooden portico in 1834, which had

Doric columns The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

supporting a triangular pediment. The museum was extensively upgraded in the 1880s, and a library wing added in 1904. In 1922 the original wooden portico was replaced by the present six-column Greek Revival temple front, which was designed by McKim Mead & White. In 2008, an addition was added to the museum along with a new sign, activities, and advertising throughout the downtown area. Its building 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 ...

in 1972.

Collections

The Pilgrim Hall Museum contains artifact collections, artwork, a library, and

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

. Prominent pieces include original Pilgrim era artifacts, such as the original

Brewster Chair A Brewster Chair is a style of turned chair made in mid-17th-century ("Pilgrim Century") New England, United States. Origin The "Brewster Chair" was named after Willam Brewster, one of the Pilgrim fathers who landed in Plymouth, Massachusett ...

and a 1651 portrait of

Edward Winslow Edward Winslow (18 October 15958 May 1655) was a Separatist and New England political leader who traveled on the ''Mayflower'' in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both Edward Winslow and ...

, the only known contemporaneous Pilgrim portrait. The museum owns the remnants of the ''Sparrow Hawk'', the only known remains of a trans-Atlantic 17th-century ship, which wrecked off of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

in 1626. The ''Sparrow Hawk'' remnants are currently in storage. The top part of

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 ...

sat in front of the building from the 1830s to the 1880s, when it was reunited with the bottom half in the Plymouth waterfront. A portion of the Rock was retained at the museum where visitors are currently permitted to touch it.

Gallery

File:Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, by William Halsall.jpg, ''Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor'', by William Halsall, 1882. Image:Mayflower_compact.jpg, ''Signing the Mayflower Compact'', by

Edward Percy Moran Edward Percy Moran (1862–1935), sometimes known as Percy Moran, was an American artist known for his scenes of American history. Early life He was born in Philadelphia on July 29, 1862, to Edward Moran, a notable artist who emigrated from En ...

, c. 1900, is now in the collection of the Pilgrim Hall Museum File:Edward_Winslow.jpg, The museum's 1651 portrait of

, the only known portrait of a Pilgrim painted from life Image:Landing-Bacon.PNG, The museum owns ''The Landing of the Pilgrims.'', by Henry A. Bacon, 1877 Image:Elder Brewster Chair and Peregrine White cradle.jpg, The museum owns the original Elder

and Peregrine White cradle Image:Pilgrim Museum in 1910.jpg, Pilgrim Museum in 1910 postcard Image:Embarkation of the Pilgrims.jpg, ''Embarkation of the Pilgrims'' by Robert Weir, a copy is also located in the

United States Capitol rotunda The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

Image:Sparrow Hawk ship.jpg, the 1626 ''Sparrow-Hawk'' wreck is displayed at the museum File:PlymouthRock @PHM.JPG, A portion of Plymouth Rock on display at the museum

References

External links and references

Pilgrim Hall Museum website
{{Authority control Museums on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Infrastructure completed in 1824 Museums established in 1824 Museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts History museums in Massachusetts Plymouth Colony National Register of Historic Places in Plymouth County, Massachusetts 1824 establishments in Massachusetts

History

Collections

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

Sparrow Hawk

External links and references