Captain Smith is credited with naming this region New Plimouth.Ĥ) The Pilgrims might have moved on to another location… The Pilgrims were also aware that where they landed was called “Plymouth,” thanks to Captain John Smith’s well-documented expedition in 1614 (which is also significant because of this high-profile kidnapping) and the maps that were created as a result. …not documented! Little is known of the first expedition in Plymouth, but we can guess that it was likely all men who boarded the 30-foot shallop to explore their new home.ģ) The Pilgrims did not name Plymouth (or America, for that matter)īradford wrote, while the Pilgrims were still living in Holland, that he was hoping to travel to “America,” which could have meant either North or South America, as both continents had been identified as simply “America” sometime around 1515 in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, who made at least three voyages to the continents between 14. In fact, the rock wasn’t identified as anything of significance until 1771, when 94-year-old Thomas Faunce, claimed that his father, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623, and several of the original Mayflower passengers assured him the stone (which was much larger at the time) was the specific landing spot.Ģ) The first passengers to step foot in Plymouth were…
There are no written or verbal accounts that the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and the landing place of the Pilgrims has not been determined. Here are a few things you may not have heard about this iconic moment in history:ġ) The Pilgrims did not actually land on Plymouth Rock.
On December 21st, the first expedition took the shallop ashore. On December 21, 1620, the Pilgrims came ashore at Plymouth.Īfter 66 days at sea and several weeks docked in Provincetown Harbor while the passengers explored Cape Cod, Mayflower finally docked in Plymouth on December 18th.