In Second Life we have the unique ability to recreate
historical events and rebuilt structures that have long since been lost or in
ruins back to their original state with the help of information gathered from
history books, ancient maps, historical
documents and diagrams. With that being
said, I was exploring the grid in search of a farm. I was determined to
interview a turkey for my Thanksgiving holiday mascot article. But instead I
came across something unexpected.
Located on Zundra at Mayflower & Plymouth Village on
a thousand kisses Estate, there bobbing in the water is The Mayflower. The history of this ship is significant to
Thanksgiving if you are familiar with the story about how the New World was “discovered”.
As the story goes: Hoping to flee the dictates of the
Church of England, The Mayflower was a
commissioned vessel responsible for transporting William Bradford and the
Mayflower Pilgrims from Plymouth, England to the New World. It took 66 days as they braved violent storms
at sea and disease.
Finally, on November 11, 1620, The Mayflower dropped anchor
at Provinceton Harbor, now known as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The surviving Pilgrims did not leave the ship
right away, instead they endured the harsh winter aboard the vessel and emerged
onto land on March 21, 1621 and started the Plymouth Colony.
The Mayflower did not stick around after its mission. It
returned back to England to be used as a trade vessel until the death of
Captain Christopher Jones. The abandoned and battered ship was destroyed and
used for scrap lumber.
The Plymouth Rock is also significant to the Mayflower
and Thanksgiving time because it is famously known as the site said to be the
first solid piece of land where the Pilgrims set foot when arriving to the New
World.
Today, it is surrounded by a gate
to protect it from damage. Now that you have some background information about
these 2 historical artifacts, no matter where you are in the world, it is only
a teleport away in Second Life.
Upon arriving at
this great location, virtually, you can explore a depiction of the first
settlement. There is a meeting house, fort, outdoor baking oven, cook pot and a
family house.
If you explore the woods you will also find a Wampanoag tribe
settlement.
To make your visit more authentic and fun, dress up like
a Pilgrim or Indian and invite your friends for an educational outing. Don’t
forget to take pictures sitting around the table for the first Thanksgiving!
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