The Pilgrims did land near Plymouth in December 1620, but their first landing was actually at Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Cod. They explored the bay for weeks before selecting Plymouth as a settlement site. No contemporary account mentions a rock. William Bradford's history describes the landing in general terms; the location was chosen for its cleared fields (left by Indigenous peoples killed by epidemic), fresh water, and defensible harbor. The rock, if it existed, was just another boulder on a boulder-strewn coast.

Thomas Faunce identified Plymouth Rock in 1741, at age 94, based on what he said his father told him. His father arrived in Plymouth in 1623 - three years after the landing. The identification is hearsay at best. But Plymouth lacked a concrete symbol of its founding, and a rock served that purpose. The boulder was adopted as a local landmark, and its reputation grew as America approached independence. By 1774, revolutionaries were using it as a rallying symbol - the place where English tyranny first touched American soil (ignoring that the Pilgrims were English).

Plymouth Rock has suffered for its fame. In 1774, an attempt to move it to the town square split the boulder in half. The top half was placed in Pilgrim Hall; the bottom remained on the beach. Souvenir hunters chipped pieces from both halves for decades. In 1880, the reunited (and diminished) rock was moved to the current site and surrounded by an elaborate canopy. The '1620' was carved at some point, adding insult to historical injury. The rock visible today may be less than a third of the original boulder - assuming the original was even correctly identified.

Modern visitors find Plymouth Rock in a pit on the waterfront, protected by iron bars and a classical portico designed by McKim, Mead & White. The rock is surprisingly small - about the size of a large coffee table. Reactions range from respectful to bemused to openly disappointed. The surrounding state park and visitor facilities tell the Pilgrim story competently. Mayflower II, a reproduction ship, is more interesting than the rock. But people keep coming to see the rock, drawn by its symbolic weight rather than its physical presence. It's a pilgrimage site for American civil religion, meaningful despite - or because of - its inadequacy.

Plymouth Rock is located on Water Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts, enclosed within Pilgrim Memorial State Park. Viewing is free and available year-round. The rock is in a pit below a portico; iron bars prevent touching. Mayflower II, berthed nearby, offers a more substantive historical experience (boarding fee). Plimoth Patuxet Museums (formerly Plimoth Plantation), south of town, recreates 17th-century English and Wampanoag life. Plymouth has restaurants, shops, and harbor cruises. Boston is 40 miles north. Thanksgiving season is crowded; spring and fall offer more pleasant visiting. Manage expectations: the rock is not impressive. Its meaning is what visitors bring to it.