The Environmental History of Plimoth Colony

FAIN: CH-50127-05

Plimoth Patuxet Museums, Inc. (Plymouth, MA 02360-2429)
Nancy Brennan (Project Director: December 2003 to February 2006)
John McDonagh (Project Director: February 2006 to January 2007)

Endowment (with bridge funding) for research staff and graduate fellowships.

A National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant in the amount of $650,000 for endowment support will advance the museum's fundamental research role to a significant and timely new level. Through the lens of 17th-century Wampanoag and European colonial living history interpretation-in a setting perceived by many Americans to be the place where U.S. history began-Plimoth Plantation currently offers a powerful story with a unique perspective that contributes toward global understanding of how differing cultures have become inextricably entwined throughout history. The museum hopes to strengthen its ability (through increased research capacity) to weave a new and expanded interpretive thread through its upcoming Environmental History Initiative (EHI) that will offer visitors more relevant understanding of the evolution of the Wampanoag, who have lived on this land for thousands of years, and the European settlers (Pilgrims) who established Plymouth Colony in the 1600s. The EHI initiative will be a significant step forward in our efforts (already underway) to leverage an additional $2,600,000 in nonfederal matching funds-for a total grant of $3,250,000. Once established, endowment earnings will enable the museum to build and sustain a new and intellectually redirected research team to further enhance Plimoth Plantation's mission: To offer the public powerful personal experiences of history, built upon thorough research of the Pilgrim and Wampanoag communities. Plimoth Plantation offers multiple learning opportunities to provide a deeper understanding of the relationship of historical events to modern America.