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Items for sale celebrating the landing of Mayflower II in 1957
Commemorative Objects in 1957
Commemorative Objects in 1957
The objects below celebrate and commemorate the creation of Mayflower II in 1957. Some of these items were presented to the Mayflower II crew as gifts, such as the ship's bell, the silver platter and the key to Washington D.C. The sherry bottle was part of a fundraising campaign for the building of Mayflower II and the message in a bottle was written and signed by the Mayflower II crew while they were at sea. Collectively, these objects serve to demonstrate how people in 1957 wished for the voyage of Mayflower II to be remembered for generations to come.
Click on the objects to learn more!
Commemoration in 2020
Commemoration in 2020
Celebrating the Bell
Celebrating the Bell
To celebrate Mayflower II's restoration, a new bell was forged, modeled off of the 1638 bell. It was cast at Plimoth Patuxet Museums in August 2019 by The Verdin Company, a world-renowned pioneer in cast bronze bells. Inscribed inside the bell is the phrase, "The Verdin Company Made Me," reflecting the 17th-century practice of giving objects their own "voice." Local veterans donated their medals of valor and other awards of service to be melted down and forged into the new bell for Mayflower II. The forging of this new bell further commemorated the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims' arrival in Plymouth while also celebrating the near-completion of Mayflower II's three year long restoration. Scroll through the images on the left to see more of the bell casting.
Ship's Christening
Ship's Christening
This red and blue woven nylon bag was used to hold the bottle of water that christened Mayflower II during the launch ceremony held at Mystic Seaport Museum on September 7, 2019 after the ship's three year long renovation. A christening event is where a ship is officially named and a bottle is broken over the bow to signify the ship is ready to sail.
This bag was custom made by Mathew Otto, head rigger at Mystic Seaport Museum where Mayflower II renovations were completed. The bottle contained water from all 50 states, as well as Plymouth, England and Leiden, Netherlands and was broken by Harriet Cross, British Consul General to New England.
To learn more about the christening bag, click here.
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
In August 2021, Mayflower II was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which is the Federal government's official list of sites, districts, buildings and structures deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. Mayflower II was recognized because of its connections with the founding story of the United States as well as being a full-sized ship that has the distinctive characteristics of a 17th-century English merchant vessel. This plaque seen on the left can be found at the Mayflower II exhibit on Plymouth Harbor.
Memorabilia in 2020
Memorabilia in 2020
Today, visitors can see and purchase a variety of Mayflower II memorabilia at Plimoth Patuxet's museum shop. These items range from tiny Mayflower models and bells to t-shirts, commemorative coins, books and even delft ornaments. Below are just a few examples of how Mayflower II is remembered and celebrated today.
Click on the images to learn more!
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