The following Portraits embellish Pilgrim Hall: "1. of Edward Winslow, painted in London in 1651, copied from the original, by C. A. Foster. 2. of Josiah Winslow, the first native Governor of the Old Colony, painted in London in 1651, copied from the original, by C. A. Foster. 3. of Gov. Josiah Winslow's wife, Penelope Pelham, copied from the original, by C. A. Foster. 4. of General John Winslow, copied from the original, by C. A. Foster. The portrait of Gov. Edward Winslow is the only one preserved, of those individuals who came in the Mayflower. The originals of these paintings belong to Isaac Winslow, Esq., of Boston, and are now in the rooms of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 5. A portrait of the Hon. Ephraim Spooner, presented by Thomas Davis, Esq., of Boston. 6. A portrait of John Alden, Esq., of Middleborough, who died in 1821, aged 102 years, who was the great-grandson of John Alden, who came in the Mayflower; painted and presented by Cephas Thompson, Esq. 7. A portrait of Hon. John Trumbull, presented by Col. John Trumbull. This portrait was painted in 1781. The face was executed by Mr. Stewart, and the other parts by Mr. Trumbull himself, while a student with him. 8. A portrait of James Thacher, M. D., late Librarian and Cabinet-Keeper of the Pilgrim Society. It was painted by Mr. Frothingham, in January, 1841, by order of the Pilgrim Society, pursuant to a vote expressing their sense of the valuable services he had rendered, in promoting the objects of said society.[K]
"The Hall contains also a bust of Hon. Daniel Webster, presented by James T. Hayward, Esq., of Boston; and the bust of Hon. John Adams, presented by Samuel Nicholson, Esq."
For an account of "Forefathers' Rock" and the beautiful monument erected by the Pilgrim Society for its preservation, we make the following extract from Dr. Thacher's History of Plymouth.
"The inhabitants of the town," [1774] "animated by the glorious spirit of liberty which pervaded the Province, and mindful of the precious relic of our Forefathers, resolved to consecrate the Rock on which they landed to the shrine of liberty. Col. Theophilus Colon and a large number of the inhabitants assembled, with about twenty yoke of oxen, for the purpose of its removal. The rock was elevated from its bed by means of large screws; and in attempting to mount it on the carriage, it split asunder, without any violence. As no one had observed a flaw, the circumstance occasioned some surprise. It is not strange that some of the patriots of the day should be disposed to indulge a little in superstition, when in favor of their good cause. The separation of the rock was construed to be ominous of a division of the British Empire. The question was now to be decided whether both parts should be removed, and being decided in the negative, the bottom part was dropped again into its original bed, where it still remains, a few inches above the surface of the earth, at the head of the wharf. The upper portion, weighing many tons, was conveyed to the liberty-pole square, front of the meeting-house, where, we believe, waved over it a flag with the far-famed motto, 'Liberty or death.' This part of the rock was, on the 4th of July, 1834, removed to 'Pilgrim Hall,' and placed in front of that edifice, under the charge of the Pilgrim Society. A procession was formed on this occasion, and passed over Cole's hill, where lie the ashes of those who died the first winter.
"A miniature representation of the Mayflower followed in the procession, placed in a car decorated with flowers, and drawn by six boys. The procession was preceded by the children of both sexes of the several schools in town. On depositing the rock in front of the Hall, a volley of small arms was fired over it by the Standish Guards, after which, an appropriate address was delivered by Doct. Charles Cotton, and the services were closed with a prayer by Rev. Dr. Kendall.
"It affords the highest satisfaction to announce, that the long desired protection of the 'Forefathers' Rock' is at length completed; and it may be pronounced a noble structure, serving the double purpose of security to the rock and a monument to the Pilgrims. The fabric was erected in June of the present year, [1835,] and consists of a perfect ellipse, forty-one feet in perimeter, formed of wrought iron bars, five feet high, resting on a base of hammered granite. The heads of the perpendicular bars are harpoons and boat-hooks alternately. The whole is embellished with emblematic figures of cast iron. The base of the railing is studded with emblems of marine shells, placed alternately reversed, having a striking effect. The upper part of the railing is encircled with a wreath of iron castings, in imitation of heraldry curtains, fringed with festoons; of these there are forty-one, bearing the names in bass-relief of the forty-one Puritan fathers who signed the memorable compact while in the cabin of the Mayflower, at Cape Cod, in 1620. This valuable and interesting acquisition reflects honor on all who have taken an interest in the undertaking. In the original design by George W. Brimmer, Esq., ingenuity and correct taste are displayed; and in all its parts, the work is executed with much judgment and skill. The castings are executed in the most improved style of the art. This appropriate memorial will last for ages, and the names and story of the great founders of our nation will be made familiar to the latest generation. This monument cost four hundred dollars. The fund was obtained by subscription; Lieut. Gov. Armstrong heading the paper, and Samuel T. Tisdale, Esq., of New York, contributing one hundred dollars. The author of this work" (Dr. Thacher,) "had the honor and satisfaction of being the active agent in its execution."
This account of the Pilgrim Society we conclude, by expressing our high commendation of its object. To be affected at the sufferings of the Pilgrims of New England; to exercise gratitude for their inestimable labors and sacrifices; to venerate their virtue and piety; to revere their principles of religious and civil liberty; and to hand down a suitable memorial of them to succeeding generations, is at once the duty and privilege of their descendants. Most cordially can we adopt the expressive language of President Dwight, in speaking of our ancestors. "When I call to mind," says he, "the history of their sufferings on both sides of the Atlantic, when I remember their preëminent patience, their unspotted piety, their immovable fortitude, their undaunted resolution, their love to each other, their justice and humanity to the savages, and their freedom from all those stains which elsewhere spotted the character, even of their companions in affliction, I cannot but view them as illustrious brothers, claiming the veneration and applause of all their posterity. By me the names of Carver, Bradford, Cushman,[L] and Standish, will never be forgotten, until I lose the power of recollection."
Our apology for appending so many notes to this historical notice is, that they illustrate the character of the Pilgrims of New England and the times in which they lived, and thus serve to accomplish the object we have in view. For instance, a few sentences in the farewell discourse of the Rev. Mr. Robinson, who was in an important sense the Father of the Plymouth colony, show the cast of mind, the religious faith, and the adherence to Protestant principles, of himself and of his flock.[M]
The first Presidents of the Society were Hon. Joshua Thomas, John Watson, Alden Bradford, LL. D., and Nathaniel M. Davis, Esqs.