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One of the enduring symbols of the landing of the Pilgrims is Plymouth Rock, a large granite outcropping of rock that was near their landing site at Plymouth, and which would have certainly been a significant landmark in the area.  However, none of the contemporary accounts of the actual landing makes any mention that the Rock was the specific place of landing.  The Pilgrims chose the site for their landing not for the rock, but for a small brook nearby that was a source of fresh water and fish.<ref>Philbrick (2006) pp 75, 78-79</ref>

One of the enduring symbols of the landing of the Pilgrims is Plymouth Rock, a large granite outcropping of rock that was near their landing site at Plymouth, and which would have certainly been a significant landmark in the area.  However, none of the contemporary accounts of the actual landing makes any mention that the Rock was the specific place of landing.  The Pilgrims chose the site for their landing not for the rock, but for a small brook nearby that was a source of fresh water and fish.<ref>Philbrick (2006) pp 75, 78-79</ref>

The first identification of Plymouth Rock as the actual landing site was in 1741 by 90-year old Thomas Faunce, himself the son of a settler who had arrived in Plymouth in 1623, three years after the supposed event.  The rock was later covered by a solid-fill pier.  In 1774, an attempt was made to excavate the Rock, but it broke in two.  The severed piece was placed in the Town Square at the center of Plymouth.  In 1880, the intact half of the rock was excavated from the pier, and the broken piece was reattached to it.  Over the years, souvenir hunters have removed chunks from the rock, but the remains are now protected as part of the complex of living museums that includes the ''[[Mayflower II]]'', a recreation of the original ship, Plimoth Plantation, an historical reenactment of the original 1620 settlement, and the Wampanoag Homesite, which recreates a 17th century Indian village.<ref>Philbrick (2006) pp 351-356</ref>

The first identification of Plymouth Rock as the actual landing site was in 1741 by 90-year old Thomas Faunce, himself the son of a settler who had arrived in Plymouth in 1623, three years after the supposed event.  The rock was later covered by a solid-fill pier.  In 1774, an attempt was made to excavate the Rock, but it broke in two.  The severed piece was placed in the Town Square at the center of Plymouth.  In 1880, the intact half of the rock was excavated from the pier, and the broken piece was reattached to it.  Over the years, souvenir hunters have removed chunks from the rock, but the remains are now protected as part of the complex of living museums that includes the ''[[Mayflower II]]'', a recreation of the original ship, Plimoth Plantation, an historical reenactment of the original 1620 settlement, and the Wampanoag Homesite, which recreates a 17th-century Indian village.<ref>Philbrick (2006) pp 351-356</ref>

==See also==

==See also==