The Pilgrims

In late 1620 the Mayflower, a converted merchant ship was blown off course and landed 102 people in Plymouth Bay in today’s Massachusetts. These unprepared new arrivals knew little of how to survive the harsh winters in the New World. That first winter more than half of them had died of starvation and sickness. Yet they survived. By the next winter, an English-speaking Indian named Squanto taught the immigrants how to build homes fitting to the climate, when to plant indigenous crops (maize), and how to cook it. Governor William Bradford wrote that Squanto was “a special instrument sent by God for their good beyond their expectations…” With gratitude to God for sending Squanto and providing the following year’s bounty, the Colonists, Squanto, Chief Massasoit, and the Wampanoag people feasted on the crops' harvest and wild game – Our First Thanksgiving!

Learn what it was like in 1620, coming to America and living the most primitive of lifestyles. See what these early settlers had to do to survive and how there little colony became the beginning of the drive for American Independence. Deks has the students wear the clothing and eat samples of food from the Pilgrims first fare.

Here are a few of the interesting facts that they will receive:

Early homes had no closets—pegs set on the wall were used to hang extra clothing and capes. Linens and blankets were put into chests, not drawers.

Most popular in the winter was the warming pan used to keep beds warm during cold New England winters. It was not enough to have many blankets—beds were still cold and the warming pan run over the entire bed made it warm. Of course, you had to be careful and not burn the sheets.

A typical day of food is not like ours. Breakfast was often a soup of salt meat, beans and herbs called Bean Porridge. There was no tea or coffee at this meal. Dinner was served at noon, usually an Indian pudding with a sauce, plus a dish of beef or pork. Wild game with potato, turnip, or any vegetable was also a dinner. Many dishes were made of pumpkin, cooked, dried, fried or in soup. Supper or tea was a cold meal, usually a cake made of corn meal, rye or buckwheat—similar to pancakes. Tomatoes were thought to be poisonous.

We get many famous sayings from this period. Here are three. To carry your new wife “over the threshold” was common because house floors were often made of dirt and the worst place was the front door. Thresh or straw was laid to soak up the water. So a groom would carry his wife over the threshold to keep her from getting muddy. “Saved by the bell” came about because so many of those who died and were buried weren’t really dead. The medical practices were virtually non-existent at this time. So, relatives took to drilling a hole in the casket and running a string from the dead person’s hand up to a bell above ground. They could ring the bell if they "woke up". We also get the saying “graveyard shift” from those who had to sit at night waiting for the bell to ring.

Americans need to be thankful for the many blessings they have and freedoms they enjoy. The study of the founding of the Plymouth colony is perfect for helping us see the sacrifices people made to create a new nation and the plentiful bounty that was afforded them by their creator. As students and even as adults this is the focus of this program - a fun fact filled presentation with clothes, foods, artifacts and the origin of our Thanksgiving tradition.

"I absolutely love to talk about the Pilgrims because my wife is an Alden.  John Alden, her great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather was a cooper (barrel-maker) on the Mayflower. In fact she is related to 21 people who came over on the Mayflower in December 1620." (talk about your inter-marrying!!)" - Deks on the Pilgrims