A letter of gratitude from Plimouth Plantation Executive Director Ellie Donovan

  Dear Friends of Plimoth Plantation,

Thanksgiving is Plimoth Plantation’s quintessential holiday. And in this season of giving thanks and family celebrations, we express our gratitude to you – our members, donors, supporters and guests who helped Plimoth Plantation to accomplish so much this year.

Our visitors and supporters were very much on our minds throughout this season as we worked to enhance the Museum’s exhibits and programs. With your support, the newly expanded Craft Center and Plimoth Bread Company took shape before our visitors’ eyes over the course of a few months. The mission of the Craft Center – the revival, preservation and teaching of historic technologies – remains the same. However, the renovated building and the addition of a wood-fired clay oven greatly expand the possibilities for exploring the crafts, techniques, life-ways and foods of the 17th century. And who can resist the aroma of freshly baked bread? Now available in the bakery!

Mayflower II remained on the Plymouth waterfront last winter and continued to do yeoman’s work as Plimoth Plantation’s “floating classroom” for many thousands of visitors. This December, the ship will be towed to dry dock to continue vitally needed restoration work. We must ensure that Mayflower II, as a symbol of freedom and opportunity, is in the best possible shape by 2020 – the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landing.

While we are caring for major exhibits like the Craft Center and Mayflower II, Plimoth Plantation is also re-evaluating how our guests experience the history and stories we interpret. With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, we held a planning conference in October to kick off a process to create the first Interpretive Master Plan in the Museum’s history. This plan will ensure that our mission and programs remain relevant and exciting to our guests in the years to come.

And so, particularly during this season of gratitude, I would like to thank you again for your participation this year as a visitor, member, volunteer or donor. We truly could not fulfill the Museum’s educational mission without your generous and loyal support.

I hope that as the year draws to a close and you set your philanthropic priorities, you will consider a tax-deductible year end gift to Plimoth Plantation. Together we can continue to tell the pivotal story of the Nation’s earliest foundations and make Plimoth Plantation an even better 21st-century living history museum.

On behalf of all of us at Plimoth Plantation, I wish you and your family a joyous Thanksgiving.

With appreciation,

Ellie Donovan
Executive Director