  {Illustrated capital} A spot both picturesque and historical lies to the south of Leyden Street bordering Town Brook. It covers land first allotted to William Brewster, John Goodman and Peter Brown in the original lay-out. The gardens in the rear extended downwards to the brook. In the early days the estuary at the mouth of the stream was sufficiently wide and deep at high tide The reclamation of this area was a part of the Tercentenary program. It was drained and graded, and the brook now follows its natural course through the park, now known as Brewster Gardens. The old English or Dutch gardens in the rear of the houses fronting on Leyden Street present a decided contrast. Near the brook stands Henry H. Kitson’s statue of the Pilgrim Maiden mounted upon a native boulder and impressive in its sublimity. It seems to symbolize the courage and determination with which the adversities confronting the colonists were met and overcome. It was presented to the town by the National Society of New England Women, and bears the inscription—“To those intrepid English women, whose courage, fortitude and devotion brought a new nation into being, this statue of the Pilgrim Maiden is dedicated.” Close at hand is the spring that supplied “sweete water” in the days of the Pilgrims. Water from this spring has been piped to the street above and supplies a drinking fountain near the Post Office. A flight of stone steps designed by Fletcher Steele leads to this park. Another memorial not to be overlooked is the stone seat also designed by Fletcher Steele and presented to the town by the National Society of Daughters of the American Colonists who came in the ship Ann in 1623. PLYMOUTH POST OFFICE (Early Photo) Much of the credit for reclaiming this area so closely associated with the lives of the Pilgrims and developing this beautiful park is due Mrs. William H. Forbes of Milton whose father, Ralph Waldo Emerson, married Miss Lidian Jackson, daughter of Charles Jackson, in the old Winslow House shown on another page. This park is reached from both Water Street and Main Street Extension. The points of greatest historical interest are so closely related in regard to location that to attempt to prescribe a definite route would be extremely difficult. The most important points of interest are within easy walking distance. As a suggestion, however, one might follow Water Street from Brewster Gardens north and find the historic Rock within a two minutes’ walk. During the Tercentenary celebration many changes were made in this section. The old wharves and buildings that had characterized this spot for generations, are gone and the immediate surroundings have been converted into a state reservation. It is a ground made sacred to the memory of the Pilgrims as is evidenced by the many memorials and markers in the vicinity, gifts of the various historical societies throughout the country. PERISTYLE OVER PLYMOUTH ROCK |
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