Standish Iron Tool
Tool, circa 1670
Iron
DRHS Collection, 2010.063.005
Piece of an iron bi-furcated tool excavated by Reverend Benjamin Kent during his archaeological dig at the Myles Standish homesite in 1832.
In 1832, Reverend Benjamin Kent, the minister at Duxbury’s First Parish Church, conducted a rudimentary archaeological dig at the site of the Myles Standish homestead. He found a number of items which he displayed at his own, small museum of curiosities.
Related Object: Kent’s Museum List, Collection of the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society, Drew Archival Library, Bradford Family Collection, DAL.MSS.024
Catalog list of the almost 500 objects in the museum created by Reverend Benjamin Kent and kept in a small museum on Tremont Street, between 1827-1833. Kent solicited local mariners to bring items back from their voyages abroad to be put on display. There were also 16 objects found by Kent during his dig at the Myles Standish homesite in 1832.
Kent was the minister of Duxbury’s First Parish Church from 1828-1833. His wife, Eleanor Bradford, was a Pilgrim descendant.
Digging Duxbury
The quest for archaeological evidence of the Pilgrim past began with an 1833 dig, one of the earliest in U.S. history.
Coming to a Pilgrim Town
Coming to a Pilgrim Town
Duxbury’s Pilgrim history, combined with the town’s natural beauty, initiated a tourist boom.
Collecting in a Pilgrim Town
Collecting in a Pilgrim Town
The tourism boom brought another enterprise, the creation and sale of Pilgrim-themed souvenirs.
Lasting Legacy
Duxbury's Lasting Legacy
Duxbury never forgot its Pilgrim origins. How could it? The names continue to generate interest today.
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