Here come the First Comers!

Plymouth Tercentenary Pageant, 1920
Plymouth Tercentenary Pageant, 1920

In 1920, the South Shore celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival in a six-month frenzy of Pilgrim-related activities, including a sprawling outdoor pageant — more detail here — featuring Kingstonians like Emily Fuller Drew in full Pilgrim dress.

In 2020, just five short years from now, the 400th anniversary will be upon us, and the planning has already begun. The next meeting of the Kingston Historical Commission (June 10, 7:00 p.m. at the Kingston Town House on Evergreen Street) will feature a presentation from Plymouth 400, the group coordinating Plymouth’s commemorative events.

If you’re interested in this century’s version of a marching Viking horde, stop by to find out what’s in the works and what part Kingston can play. (Long-time Kingston Town Clerk George W. Cushman is listed in the pageant program as one of the Norsemen; maybe the incumbent can be persuaded into costume…)

March of all explorers who came before the Pilgrims in 1620, Plymouth Tercentenary Pageant, 1920
March of all explorers who came before the Pilgrims in 1620, Plymouth Tercentenary Pageant, 1920. Photo by E.P. McLaughlin, Plymouth

Source: Jones River Village Historical Society Collection MC29

For more, visit the Kingston Public Library, and the Local History Room, and the full blog at piqueoftheweek.wordpress.com