The tickets we purchased at the Plantation were actually in 3 parts. The site itself, a grist mill off site and a replica of the Mayflower down at the harbor. Three different locations for one price, how could we lose?

Apparently very easily as it turns out….because after we bought them, we found out the replica Mayflower wasn’t even in the state, but in Mystic, Connecticut undergoing an overhaul for the 400th year anniversary they’ll be celebrating next year. Thanks for that. It would have been nice knowing before I paid to tour it.

 

 

And the grist mill?

 

 

While attractive…

 

 

Turned out not to be so historic after all.

 

 

Yes, the Pilgrims eventually built a mill in 1636 after 10 years of grinding corn by hand. And yes, it was somewhere on Town Brook in Plymouth, though no one knows exactly where.

 

 

The mill pictured here was actually built in 1970 with many of it’s parts coming from a salvaged mill near Philly. How’s that for historical accuracy?

 

 

But we paid our money so here it is… upstairs, big stones.

 

 

And downstairs, big wheel.  I won’t bore you with the more technical details on the inner workings.

 

 

But I will share the picture and video of this poor girl sifting cornmeal. The mere thought of having to do that all day makes me appreciate the little blue Jiffy box I use to make muffins soooo much more.

 

 

And it was even louder in person, trust me.

Naturally I had to visit the gift store and buy some freshly ground meal which is when we passed this:

 

 

Feel free to groan.

I did.

 

 

Sadly I only caught sight of this book when we were leaving and didn’t have a chance to flip through it. Who knew Yetis brewed beer?

 

 

Leaving the grist mill, I spotted a scallop shell.

 

 

In Tennessee we saw painted bears, in Vermont painted cows, somewhere I can’t remember painted lighthouses.

In Plymouth?

 

 

Painted scallop shells.

To each their own…