The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-09-23
PLYMOUTH ROCKS CRACK.


Plymouth has been called the era
die of New England. 1t is on the
coast, thirty-eight miles south of Bos-
ton, and is a thriving and prosperous
New England town, with good schools
and churches, a town hall, and
shops of all kinds, and comfortable
homes.
On the fiat strip of land that runs
for miles up and down the shore of
the bay. the diminutive white houses
Of the fishermen are crowded close TO-
gether. In the center of the same
fiat land strip, fanked on both sides
by the fishermen's homes, is large,
open square forty yards from the
waterfront. Here stands Plymouth
Rock, the first sight of which gives
one mental shock, for, no doubt,
fancy has pictured an immense boul-
dsF rising grandly out of the sea but,
itiskead, the visitor sees only an OBJ
long, irregularly shaped gray sand
stone rock twelve feet in length and
five feet III width at the widest point
and two at the narrowest. Across
one part 1uns large crack which has
been filled with cement, and which
gives to Plymouth Rock highly
artificial appearance. The origin of
this crack is bit of unique history,
and bears evidence to the early differ
ences that at times divided the in
habitants irto two factions.
For long time there waged spirit
ed and bitter wrangling between the
opposing parties, and it even settled
down upon the much-cherished Ply
mouth Rock, which one party declar-
ed ought to be removed to a more
worthy position in the town square,
and the other wranglers protested 1t
should not be moved an inch from its
position, even though they had to
guard it with their pixies and guns.
Finally, the stronger faction drew
up their forces around Plymouth
Rock, and in attempting to move it
up the hill, split it asunder, which
seemed bad omen for those who had
attempted such thing, until an ar
dent Whig leader hourished his
sword, and by an eloquent appeal to
the other Jealous Wings convinced
them that they should not swerve
from their plan of carrying the rock
To a Mace in the town square.
"The portion that first fell to the
ground belongs to u.s." he cried
land that we will transport with all
care and diligence to its proper
home.'
Twenty yoke of oxen drew the
Whig section of Plymouth Rock up
the hill, amid the shouts of the throng
that pushed forward around the lib
erty pole which was to mark the new
site. The ceremony of dedicating the
rock in its new position was very i'm
pressive, and the people stood with
barred heads, and in reverent tones
chanted their pitched psalms in
token of thanksgiving.
In the town square this part OF
Plymouth Rock remained for more
than half century when committe
of the council resolved to move it
back to its original position, and join
it, as best they could, to the other
half. Accordingly, in 1884, on the
morning of the Fourth of July, the
Plymouth Rock had been reunited in
all seriousness to its long estranged
portion, and the union made COM
plete by mixture of cement and
mortar.
Today four granite columns sup
port canopy of granite that offers
Plymouth Rock an Indifferent pro-
tection against the rain and the sun,
and serves to keep back, in some
measure, the thousands of sightseers
that come to Plymouth with only one
object in view, namely, to press up
around the iron bars, and to gaze
through them at the revered rock, on
which they see the single inscription,
cut in the middle of its face in long,
plain figures, 1920"
The rock is surrounded by high
iron railing composed of alternate
boat hooks and harpoons, and in
scribed with the illustrious names of
the forty men who drew up the Pill
grim's compact on board the May
flower that November day as they
sighted the coast that henceforth was
to be their home.