Plimoth Plantation to change its name- To be More Inclusive!

Plimoth Plantation. Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jjc3/5896443665

The famous Plimoth Plantation is changing its name to reflect a more inclusive history.

Having lived in New England, and having been there once, this historic place has always acknowledged native Americans, and now they're doing it in the name. Bravo!  Here's the story from the Patriot Ledger newspaper of Mass.

Plimoth Plantation to change its name

By David Kindy
Updated Jul 12, 2020 at 11:43 AM

In an effort to be more inclusive, Plimoth Plantation is changing its name.

PLYMOUTH – Nearly 400 years ago, the Pilgrims landed on these shores and established the first colonial settlement in New England. However, if not for the Wampanoag people in the village of Patuxet, Plymouth would not have lasted. The support and assistance by Native Americans enabled English settlers to survive and eventually thrive.

Native American  Wampanoag people Credit:  www.plimoth.org/ 

In acknowledgement of that early connection, Plimoth Plantation now has new messaging on its website and throughout the site of the living history museum – with a new name planned for later this year. “Plimoth-Patuxet: Commemorating 400 Years, 1620-2020” offers homage to the cooperative spirit four centuries ago that allows Plymouth to celebrate the anniversary today.

Plimoth Plantation, which was founded in 1947, is a living history museum that re-creates the Pilgrims’ 17th-century settlement and the historic homesite of the Wampanoag Indians.

“As a museum, we have always been inclusive of the indigenous people,” said Kate Sheehan, associate director of Media Relations & Marketing at Plimoth Plantation. “Our goal has been to accurately represent the story of what happened here on the land indigenous people called Patuxet and English colonists called Plymouth. Now we want our branding to reflect that.”

Initially, the signage is making the statement about that connection. However, Plimoth Plantation will make a broader declaration about inclusiveness this fall when it unveils the new name. Sheehan is tight-lipped about what exactly that will be, but noted it will be more reflective of the diversity that conjoined the two communities in 1620.

“We realize that indigenous culture is not reflected in our name, so we will be changing it later this year,” she said. “Our intention is to unveil something that commemorates the entire experience of Plymouth and Patuxet.”

Sheehan said museum leadership and staff have been reviewing this issue for more than a year. One of the questions driving this reevaluation was “Does our name reflect the full, multivalent history that is at the core of the museum’s mission?” The consensus was clear: It’s time for a change.

What and when that will be remains to be determined. Sheehan would only say it will be announced in the fall.

Plimoth Plantation’s website includes this statement:
“In the coming months, we look forward to introducing the museum’s new name. Previous centuries marked anniversaries with statues, pageants, orators, and urban renewal projects that reflected contemporary views of the world. We intend this change to be part of the lasting contribution our museum makes to this century’s commemoration.

“It will, indeed, reflect the ways history continues to transform us.”

Dave Kindy can be reached at dkindy@wickedlocal.com.