Plymouth Rock

A small boulder sits near the Atlantic Ocean with a black iron fence surrounding it. This is the present home of the rock which we call Plymouth Rock and which had lain near the rocky Atlantic shore when the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts back in 1620. This boulder was actually much larger when it was first viewed by the 102 Mayflower passengers. Later, in 1774, the town residents used a team of oxen to move the symbolic boulder to the town square, but the boulder split in half. Only the top portion left the waterfront. Over the years the rock has seen many changes: souvenir seekers chipped off pieces, parts of the rock were broken when it was moved again in 1834, 1880, and to its current resting place in 1921 when Plymouth celebrated its tercentenary. The boulder has been visible to millions of visitors in its present location for nearly 90 years, although the date "1620" had been inscribed on the rock for slightly more than one and one-quarter centuries. The year "1620" was carved into the rock in 1880.