The Pilgrims Landed at Plymouth Rock

The Mayflower first landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, not Plymouth. Contemporary accounts don't mention Plymouth Rock specifically. The rock gained mythological status in 1774 when townspeople attempted to move it, then claimed it as a historical landmark. Archaeologists note the rock's significance is almost entirely invented, created retrospectively to give a physical locus to founding mythology. This illustrates how powerful origin stories reshape history: Plymouth Rock became real through repetition, ultimately serving American narrative needs better than documented facts.