Nearby, Plymouth Rock is thought to be the Pilgrim's disembarkation spot from the original Mayflower. The Pilgrims did not mention the rock in any of their documents, and it was not until a century later that the rock gained significance.

A town elder, Thomas Faunce, proclaimed the stone's importance to others in 1741. He was 90 by then, but his words had some credibility. He had known some of the original Pilgrims as a boy.