How Plymouth Celebrated its 300th Anniversary in 1920-21

October 2016-March 2017
Sponsored By Eastern Bank
Digital Imaging & Technology Co-Sponsors:
Brian & Barbara Alosi, Edward & Sue Perkinson, Charles Tarbox & Jan Palmer-Tarbox

How did Plymouth celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the Landing of the Pilgrims a century ago? The Pilgrim Tercentenary of 1920-21 drew enormous crowds and garnered national attention, including the visit of a sitting President. Events included a grand parade, costumed processionals, a reproduction “Indian Village,” an elaborate historical pageant, and an extraordinary level of local involvement. Over 1,300 residents of Plymouth and surrounding towns participated in the 1921 pageant, “The Spirit of the Pilgrims,” billed as one of the most spectacular performances ever presented.

The exhibit presented original costume designs with rare surviving actual costumes worn in the Pilgrim pageant, which covered a vast sweep of history beginning with the arrival of the Vikings in New England. A high-resolution 21-foot panoramic view offered a face-to-face view of the enormous pageant cast. Also on display were hundreds of Tercentenary images, objects, posters, drawings, plans, and memorials  revealing how, a century ago, Americans commemorated the Pilgrims and celebrated the nation’s early founding. The story of the Pilgrim Tercentenary exposes the depth of changes in American culture since 1920, and poses a remarkable model for the challenges of planning and carrying out nationally significant historical commemorations.