In American history, Plymouth Harbor is well known as the site where European settlers arrived to establish one of the first successful settlements in North America. Located in the South Shore Region of Massachusetts, Plymouth Harbor is a small section of a larger, well protected Plymouth Bay. Saquish Neck and a three mile long barrier beach ensure calm waters on the bay, an enticing aspect which the storm-tossed Pilgrims eagerly embraced. Traditional history has the settlers headed toward today's state of Virginia, but it's unclear why the Pilgrims ended up in New England at Plymouth, setting foot on famed Plymouth Rock. Realizing they had no patent for this land in New England, the settlers drafted and signed the Mayflower Compact.
   Arriving in November, 1620, a landing party explored the Cape Cod Region, encountering storms and hostile natives. Arriving in Plymouth Harbor, the settlers set foot on land on December 21, 1620. Naming their settlement Plimouth (Plimoth), the new arrivals would not have survived without help from Wampanoag Natives. Escaping slavery, English speaking Squanto taught the colonists how to plant crops, fish and create everyday necessities.
   Led by William Bradford (inset), 102 Pilgrims took over an abandoned Wampanoag village during their first winter in the New World. By spring, the brutal weather had claimed 50 of the 102 Mayflower passengers.
   Today a full scale replica, the Mayflower II is moored in Plymouth Harbor, a square rigged vessel with four masts, six sails and measuring 106 feet long. Built in the mid 1950s, the Mayflower II hails from the town of Brixham in Devon County, England.

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