Local Life - Wigan - October 2019

34
Putting Down Roots
A special planting ceremony is set to take place at
Standish Library this month, as volunteers prepare
to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the
sailing of the Mayflower.
Despite originally aiming to set sail in July, it wasn’t
until September 1620 that a group of English
Pilgrims left Plymouth for America. The journey
was an arduous one, and passengers had to
contend with treacherous weather conditions, food
shortages and damage to the ship which had to be
repaired mid-sail. It wasn’t until November that they
finally arrived in Cape Cod, where they set down the
anchor on November 11 after a failed attempt to
make it further south.
On board the Mayflower for its seminal journey was
local resident and military advisor Myles Standish,
who would eventually settle the New Plymouth
colony. During their first winter in America, diseases
like scurvy and tuberculosis rippled through
the passengers, killing over half the crew and
passengers. During this time, Myles Standish led
a shore party for an exploration of the local area,
fending off an attack by Native Americans and
discouraging the use of violence against them.
Standish also busied himself caring for his fallen
shipmates, becoming fast friends with future
governor of the Plymouth colony, William Bradford.
It wasn’t until March 1621 that they finally
disembarked from the ship, and Captain
Christopher Jones set about helping build huts on
the nearby land. A treaty was eventually established
between the Pilgrims and the local Pokanoket tribe.
However, the treaty wasn’t without challenge, with
various usurpers grappling to take power from
its established leader Massasoit. Other tribes too
presented a threat to the New Plymouth colony,
and Standish was elected as its First Commander.
A 110 foot granite tower with a bronze statue of
Standish himself now stands in Duxbury, New
England as a reminder of his instrumental role
in establishing that first Plymouth colony. He
eventually built a farmhouse in the nearby
Duxbury and settled down in 1628.
Standish died of strangury in 1656 and was
buried in Duxbury’s Old Burying Ground, now
the Myles Standish Cemetery, in Massachusetts.
Now, on Saturday, October 5, a planting
ceremony will take place with the Friends of
Standish Library to place a perennial border
along the front of the building. Led by gardening
expert and Local Life columnist Angie Barker,
the flowers will be prepared ahead of the
laying of a ceremonial plaque next year, on the
actual anniversary of the Mayflower’s voyage
to America. Volunteers are invited to go along
and help lay the Mayflower border on the day.
Planting starts at 10:30am and all tools will be
provided, along with refreshments.
For more information, contact Yvonne on
yvonnewinstanley@talktalk.net