On October 12 (10 am to 4 pm) and October 13 (10 am to 2 pm), the New Plimmoth Gard, a group of historical reenactors portraying the culture and militia of Plymouth Colony, will present an encampment and reenactment on the grounds of the Hedge House Museum, 126 Water Street, Plymouth. The theme of the event will be, “After the Mayflower, Those Who Followed.”
While the 1620 Mayflower story is known to most, the stories of the English settlers who came in the years following is not so well known. Each member of the New Plimmoth Gard will represent a colonist who arrived in 1623 on the ships that followed the Mayflower. Many of the later arrivals were family members of the “first comers” or fellow Separatists who shared the Pilgrims’ religious beliefs. Others came just for economic opportunity. Each figure represented at the reenactment will have their own story to tell. The New Plimmoth Gard invite one and all to “meet” these historical figures and hear their stories amidst a period-correct militia encampment. Admission to the encampment on the Hedge House grounds is free.
Along with musket and pike drills, New Plimmoth Gard members will reenact some of the more dramatic moments of early Plymouth, including ejecting a malcontent by running him through a gauntlet. The event will also feature a sutler selling 17th century goods and jewelry, and live demonstrations by a blacksmith.
The historic 1809 Hedge House Museum, the headquarters of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society and one of the finest examples of federal architecture in Plymouth, will be open for tours during the event from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, October 12 and 12 to 2 pm on Sunday, October 13. Admission to the Hedge House Museum is $10 per adult, $5 per child, $5 for Plymouth resident adults, and $2 for Plymouth resident children. Members of the Plymouth Antiquarian Society are admitted for free.
Those with questions about the encampment should contact the Plymouth Antiquarian Society at info@plymouthantiquarian.org or 508-746-0012.
Photos by Denise Maccaferri.