Google+

Fun Facts about the Mayflower with Mayflower Craft Round-Up


Have you been following our Fun Facts posts? I have been enjoying learning about the various topics like apples, turkeys, and more!! Today we are looking at the Mayflower. What do you know about the ship the Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic and came to Plymouth? See if I found something new for you to learn. Enjoy!


  1. The Mayflower’s usual cargo was wine and dry goods. It was 90 feet long and 26 feet amidships. It would have had a crew of around 30 men. Only a handful have been identified though. The ship’s master was Christopher Jones. The Ship’s Pilot and Master’s Mate was John Clarke. The Master’s Mate was Robert Coppin. The Cooper was John Alden, who decided to stay in Plymouth. The Ship’s Surgeon was Giles Heale.
  2. There were 102 passengers and two dogs on it when it left Plymouth, England in September 1620. Around 40 of them were Protestant Separatists who hoped to establish a new church. They referred to themselves as saints.
  3. Plymouth Mayflower II
    Mayflower II in Plymouth by wikitravel:user:OldPine [CC BY-SA 1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

  4. There were two ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. The Speedwell almost immediately began to leak so the ships went back to port and the travelers squeezed themselves and their belongings on the Mayflower.
  5. Because of the delay caused by the leaky Speedwell, the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic in the height of storm season. Many of the passengers were very seasick and one young sailor went overboard and drowned.
  6. The Pilgrims were planning to settle near the Hudson River region in New York. They were part of the Virginia Company that had rights to most of the eastern seaboard.
  7. The only furniture the Pilgrims brought with them were chests and boxes. They built their furniture when they came to Plymouth.
  8. Pilgrims signing the compact on board the Mayflower, Nov 11, 1620, Provincetown Harbor, Mass (76237)
    Pilgrims Signing Mayflower Compact  on Board the Mayflower November 11, 1620 By Pub. by The Mayflower Sales Co., Provincetown, Mass. Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

  9. They were at sea for two months. When they made it to the New World, they were well north of the allowed area they were allowed to form a colony. As a result, they drafted and signed a document they called the Mayflower Compact which promised to create a civil body politic governed by elected officials and just and equal laws and swore allegiance to the English king.
  10. The Mayflower anchored in what is now Provincetown in November 1620 and on December 18, 1620 anchored near Plymouth Rock.

  11. Cape cod bay.jpg
    Cape Cod--Where they landed Public Domain, Link

  12. On November 20, 1620 Peregrine White was born on the Mayflower to Susanna and William White. The Mayflower was docked in Provincetown at the time.
  13. Only 53 passengers and half the crew survived the first winter living on the Mayflower.

Crafts:


1) From Crafts on the Sea: Mayflower Ship Paper Plate Craft
2) Our Mayflower hitting Plymouth Rock Craft
3) From School Time Snippets: Mayflower Flapbook 
4) From Fantastic Fun and Learning: Mayflower Craft and Science Activity
5) From Wikki Stix: STEM Mayflower Boat Building Challenge
6) From There's Just One Mommy: Simple Mayflower Craft
7) From Adventures in Mommydom: Sail with the Pilgrims
8) From Red Ted Art: Easy Cork Boats
9) From I Heart Crafty Things: Mixed Media Ship

Sources: