Where Is The Oldest City In Massachusetts? Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

Massachusetts is home to many historic towns and sites. The oldest municipalities date back to the early 17^th century and were settled during the Great Puritan Migration by colonists from the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Dorchester Company and others.

(Photo image of Plymouth Rock courtesy of https://historyofmassachusetts.org/oldest-towns-massachusetts/)

If you are wondering which locality is the oldest here in The Bay State, just think about the Thanksgiving Holiday as Plymouth was settled by the Plymouth Company in December of 1620 when the Mayflower pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and by now, you know the rest of the story.

The Plymouth Colony later merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 to become a part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay royal colony. The town is famous for hosting the First Thanksgiving festivities back in 1621, one year after it's inception.

Plymouth is located approximately 40 miles south of Boston in a region that is best known as the South Shore. It continues to be an active port, but today its major industry is tourism. The town is served by Plymouth Municipal Airport and is home base to the oldest continually operating museum in the United States. The National Monument to Forefathers is proudly displayed in the center of town.

(Photo of Mayflower II exterior courtesy of Ruben Ayes)

The Mayflower II is a full-size replica of the vessel which brought the Pilgrims to Plymouth in 1620. The ship is open as a museum about the Pilgrims' historic voyage. You can view this piece of history at The State Pier in Plymouth Center.

Plymouth is located along The "Pilgrims Highway" portion of route 3, which also serves as the major hub between Cape Cod and Boston. The town can be accessed from six exits and also serves as the eastern terminus of US route 44.

Weymouth is not that far behind ranking in 2nd place followed by Gloucester and Hull. Our capital city takes the coveted "fifth position".

Originally known as Shawmut, Boston was first settled by William Blackstone, a lone member of the Wessagusset Colony, in 1625. Five years later, the Winthrop fleet of Massachusetts Bay colonists landed at nearby Charlestown and Blackstone invited the colonists to live with him in Shawmut.

Shawmut was named after Boston, England which became incorporated as a town and later became the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632. Statistics show that Boston was reincorporated as a city in 1822.

BOTTOM LINE: The Bay State has an assortment of historical locations as you can plan the ultimate day trip or weekend. Plymouth is a must-stop destination. Don't forget to post some photos of your journey and log on to their web site for more information.

(Some information obtained in this article featuring Plymouth, Massachusetts courtesy of www.wikipedia.org, www.google.com  and https://historyofmassachusetts.org/oldest-towns-massachusetts/)