John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites
Encyclopedia
John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites is a National Historic Landmark
consisting of two properties in Duxbury, Massachusetts
, United States
.
According to the Department of the Interior's press release:
John Alden House is a historic house museum that was purportedly home to John and Priscilla Alden. It is located at 105 Alden Street in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Scholarship variously dates it as built in 1653 according to family tradition, or c. 1700 according to more recent dendrochronology
testing of the beams.
Alden was ship's cooper
on the Mayflower
who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 and later moved to Duxbury. Although not a Pilgrim himself, he was an important figure throughout the period of the Plymouth Colony
. This house may have used materials from Alden's earlier house which was nearby.
on October 7, 2008.
The Alden Kindred of America, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c) organization that owns and preserves the John Alden House.
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
consisting of two properties in Duxbury, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
According to the Department of the Interior's press release:
John Alden House
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
testing of the beams.
Alden was ship's cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 and later moved to Duxbury. Although not a Pilgrim himself, he was an important figure throughout the period of the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. This house may have used materials from Alden's earlier house which was nearby.
Alden Homestead site
This property is the c. 1632 original location of the Alden Homestead. As noted above, although no building stands there now, it is an important archeological site. It is owned by the Town of Duxbury.Recognition
John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The sites were declared a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on October 7, 2008.
The Alden Kindred of America, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c) organization that owns and preserves the John Alden House.