Understanding Pilgrims | The 1620 Experience

Starting From Scratch: Where Did the Pilgrims Get Their Stuff?

by Beth Vickers | Oct 2, 2026 | Understanding Pilgrims

Need a new frying pan? A hammer? Shoes? Sugar? A pane of glass? Today, the answer is easy. Drive to a store or tap a screen and have it delivered to your door. Try that in Plymouth in 1622. The settlers of early Plymouth lived in a...

Dirt Floors and a Thatched Roof: Building a Home in Plymouth

by Beth Vickers | Sep 29, 2026 | Understanding Pilgrims

Imagine arriving in New England in December. It is cold. You have just spent more than two months aboard the Mayflower. There is no town waiting for you. No inn. No lumberyard. No hardware store. And before you can really begin your new life, you need somewhere to...

A Cradle, a Musket and a Cooking Pot: The Things That Came on the Mayflower

by Beth Vickers | Sep 22, 2026 | Understanding Pilgrims

If you had to fit the important parts of your life aboard one ship, what would you take? Clothes, certainly. Bedding. Tools. Something to cook in. Perhaps your Bible or another treasured book. And if you were expecting a baby? You...

When Survival Resources Are Scarce, What Does a Community Owe Its Members?

by Beth Vickers | Sep 17, 2026 | Understanding Pilgrims

Scarcity changes a community. When there is enough food, shelter, medicine and labor to meet everyone’s needs, generosity can feel relatively uncomplicated. But when there is not enough—when helping another person may mean having less yourself—the question...

Forget Black and White: What Colors Did the Pilgrims Really Wear?

by Beth Vickers | Sep 9, 2026 | Understanding Pilgrims

Picture a Pilgrim. Chances are you just imagined someone dressed almost entirely in black and white. Black coat. Black dress. White collar. Maybe a tall black hat decorated with a shiny buckle. It’s one of the most...

Beer, Water and a Barrel of Flour: What Did You Pack for Plymouth?

by Beth Vickers | Sep 3, 2026 | Understanding Pilgrims

Imagine you have decided to move to Plymouth Colony. There is no moving truck waiting at the dock. No hardware store will greet you when you arrive. You cannot order something you forgot and have it delivered next week. Whatever you take must cross the...