Mayflower's Legacy: Stories by the Sea and on the Land
Join us for the final lecture in our fall series, Revolutionary Plymouth, where we explore the people, places, conflicts, and ideas that shaped the town during the American Revolution and beyond.
What happened in the immediate wake of Mayflower’s arrival and the signing of the Mayflower Compact in early November 1620? And how did those events shape Pilgrim and Wampanoag relations during the next twelve months?
After four weeks spent exploring Cape Cod, Plymouth was selected as the settlement site for the new colony. Those four weeks had included the thievery of Wampanoag corn from storage pits at what is now the Cape Cod town of Truro, Massachusetts. The exploratory party stole one quarter of a Wampanoag family’s winter corn supply. There was also the first exchange of arrows and musket balls during the First Encounter, a December skirmish at Eastham, Massachusetts. Using drone footage shot by Plimoth Patuxet Museums, Richard Pickering will transport you to these original sites. Mayflower Legacy:Stories by the Sea and on the Land explores three pivotal Cape Cod moments and how events at Corn Hill and First Encounter Beach lived in the memories of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag, and how those memories shaped the future of cultural interactions.
Speaker Bio:
Richard Pickering is the Deputy Executive Director and Senior Historian at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. He has been with the Museum for more than 40 years and has served as a historical role player, research associate, Director of Education and Director of Special Projects. He studied English and American Studies in graduate programs at Bridgewater State University, the College of William and Mary, and the University of Connecticut. Richard oversees the Museum’s ongoing research as well as educational and theatrical programs. He has spoken at the United Nations and Smithsonian National Museum of American History and has appeared on NPR, PBS, History Channel, NECN, NBC News, ABC’s The Chew, and Martha Stewart Living Radio. He also worked on Ric Burns’ film The Pilgrims for American Experience.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Plymouth Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.