| Pilgrim Hall | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
 Pilgrim Hall Museum, the oldest public museum in the United States
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| Location: | 75 Court St Plymouth, Massachusetts |
| Architect: | Alexander Parris |
| Architectural style(s): | Greek Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | April 11, 1972 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 72001298 |
The Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts is the oldest public museum in the United States in continuous operation, having opened in 1824.
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History
The Pilgrim Society, established in 1820, runs the museum. The museum tells the story of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony. Architect Alexander Parris designed the museum building, which opened in 1824. Russell Warren constructed a wooden portico in 1834. The top part of Plymouth Rock sat in front of the building from the 1830s to 1880s until it was reunited with the bottom half in the Plymouth waterfront. The museum was extensively upgraded in the 1880s. In 2008, an addition was added to the museum along with a new sign, activities, and advertising throughout the downtown area.
Collections
The Pilgrim Hall Museum contains artifact collections, artwork, a library and archives. Prominent pieces include original Pilgrim era artifacts, such as the original Brewster Chair and a 1651 portrait of Edward Winslow, the only known Pilgrim portrait. The museum owns the 1626 shipwreck of the Sparrow Hawk, the only known remains of a trans-Atlantic 17th century ship, but the ship is currently (2009) displayed at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum.
Further reading
Sparrow Hawk
- Ye antient wrecke.--1626. Loss of the Sparrow-Hawk in 1626 (1865), Livermore, Charles W. & Crosby, Leander at the Internet Archive
- An account of the discovery of an ancient ship on the eastern shore of Cape Cod (1864), Otis, Amos at the Internet Archive
External links and references
Images
 Signing the Mayflower Compact, ca. 1900, is now in the collection of the Pilgrim Hall Museum |
 The museum owns this 1651 portrait of Edward Winslow, the only known portrait of a Pilgrim |
 The museum owns The Landing of the Pilgrims., by Henry A. Bacon, 1877 |
 The museum owns the original Elder Brewster Chair and Peregrine White cradle |
 Pilgrim Museum in 1910 postcard |
 Embarkation of the Pilgrims by Robert Weir a copy is also located in the, United States Capitol rotunda, Washington, DC |
 the 1626 Sparrow-Hawk wreck is displayed at the museum |
Coordinates: 41°57′32″N 70°40′04″W / 41.95889°N 70.66778°W
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