Pilgrim Hall Museum Dutch Exhibit

May 23, 2009

May 12, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: pegbaker@pilgrimhall.org
Tel. 508-746-1620

PilgrimHallMuseum to Explore “The Dutch Connection”

 
The PilgrimHallMuseum will open a new temporary exhibition “The Dutch Connection” on Sunday, May 31, 2009. The exhibition, sponsored by NorthEast Community Bank, will feature more than fifty artifacts representing the significant relationship between Plymouth, the Pilgrims and The Netherlands. Through prints, photographs, reproductions and artifacts the life of the English Separatists in Leiden, The Netherlands will be explored. “The Dutch Connection” exhibition continues Pilgrim Hall Museum’s celebration of 2009 as the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims receiving permission to reside in the city of Leiden, and the lasting influence the city had not only on the settlers but also on the formation of the United States.
 
“The year 2009 is deeply significant in the Pilgrim story,” says Peggy Baker, director of PilgrimHallMuseum.  “It was in 1609, exactly 400 years ago, that the Pilgrims arrived in Leiden, where they would spend 11 very formative years before sailing (by way of England and the Mayflower) for America.  It was in Leiden that the Pilgrims encountered political concepts of civil marriage and republican government, it was in Leiden that the Pilgrims celebrated an annual Thanksgiving, it was in Leiden that the character of the Pilgrim community and of its leaders was formed.  The influence of Dutch culture was crucial to the formation of Plymouth and to American society.  Leiden, which Governor William Bradford called a ‘fair and beautiful city,’ played a pivotal role by providing a home and refuge for the Scrooby Separatist congregation that became the nucleus of the Mayflower Pilgrims.”

Two very special items have journeyed from Leiden to PilgrimHallMuseum for this anniversary exhibition.  The painting “View of Leiden from the Northeast” by Dutch master Jan van Goyen (1596-1656) is on loan from Leiden’s LakenhalMuseum.  It shows a scene, with small boats on the VlietRiver approaching the walls of Leiden, with windmills on the city’s perimeter and the spire of the Pieterskirk clearly visible, that would have been very familiar to the Pilgrims.  (In return, PilgrimHallMuseum’s painting of “The First Thanksgiving in Plymouth,” by Jennie A. Brownscombe has traveled to Leiden for special exhibition.)  Also on loan for the exhibition from the Leiden Regional Archives is the official 1609 Record Book of the City of Leiden in which permission was given to the Pilgrims to settle in the city.  This unique handwritten document has never before left the City of Leiden.  The Record Book will be on display only until August 31 because of its fragility.
 
Another highlight of the exhibition will be a letter from President John Adams remembering the time he resided in Leiden during the American Revolution as Minister Plenitpotentiary to The Netherlands. As Minister, Adams was able to secure recognition of American independence from the Netherlands and a badly needed financial loan. This letter, from a private collection, discusses the history of Leiden in association with “Mr. Robinson’s congregation.”
 
“The Dutch Connection” will be open May 31, 2009 – December 31, 2009.
 
“The Dutch Connection” is made possible by the generous support of Bruce & Patricia Bartlett, The Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal (Leiden), The Massachusetts Society of the Order of the Cincinnati, The Town of Plymouth Visitor Services Board and NorthEast Community Bank.          
 
ABOUT PILGRIM HALL MUSEUM
Pilgrim Hall Museum is located at 75 Court Street (Route 3A), Plymouth, Massachusetts 02360. 
 
Information: 508-746-1620; Web site: www.pilgrimhall.org
 
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 7 days a week. The Museum is closed on Christmas Day and the month of January.
 
Admission: Adults $7.00; seniors (62+) and AAA members $6.00; Children (5-17) $4.00;
Families (2 adults with their children aged 5-17) $20.00. Residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts are admitted free.