Crafts Center
Frequently Asked Questions

• WAMPANOAG HOMESITE
• MAYFLOWER II
• VILLAGE
• CRAFTS CENTER
• NYE BARN

What to Expect, How to Prepare:

1. What will I see at the Crafts Center?
2. Who will I meet at the Crafts Center?
3. Can I buy some of the things that the artisans make?

Frequently Asked Historical Questions:

1. Did the English colonists make everything they needed themselves?
2. Why isn't anyone in the 1627 English Village making baskets or pottery or weaving?
3. How did the colonists pay for their manufactured goods?
4. How do you know what sorts of goods were brought over from England to Plymouth Colony?

What to Expect and How to Prepare:

1. What will I see at the Crafts Center?

In addition to the artisans, the Crafts Center features an exhibit exploring European/English trade and manufacture. Outside the building there is a work area with a traditional wood-fired kiln used to fire pottery. The Crafts Center also houses a museum shop and restrooms.

2. Who will I meet at the Crafts Center?

At the Crafts Center you can talk with skilled modern-day artisans. The artisans will answer your questions from a 21st-century viewpoint, speaking as themselves. They are not playing the role of an historical person (like you will find in the 1627 English Village). The knowledgeable gift shop staff can also answer many questions about the museum.

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3. Can I buy some of the things that the artisans make?

Yes, many of the items made in the Crafts Center are available for purchase. The museum shop at the Crafts Center has a selection of clay dishes, bowls and cups, willow baskets, and other fine reproduction items for sale.

Frequently Asked Historical Questions:

1. Did the English colonists make everything they needed (clothes, furniture, etc.) themselves?

No. One of the many myths of "olden times" is that every family was self-sufficient and made everything they needed from scratch. Yet that was not the case for most English people in the 17th century. In large cities like London as well as small country towns, people purchased furniture from a joiner, earthenware from a potter, clothing from a tailor, and many other essential goods from the skilled local tradesmen who made them.

However, in Plymouth Colony, there weren't any practicing local tradesmen from whom to purchase goods. Most of the colonists (popularly known as the "Pilgrims") had been farm laborers, but even the few who had practiced trades back in England could not do so in Plymouth. They were too busy providing for the basic needs of food and shelter. Manufactured goods such as clothing, furniture and other items were purchased in England and sent to the colony aboard ships.

2. Why isn't anyone in the 1627 English Village making baskets or pottery or weaving?

Because none of those items were being made by the English colonists in the early years of Plymouth Colony, baskets, pottery and other items were made back in England & Europe and imported to New England.

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3. How did the colonists acquire their manufactured goods?

Manufactured goods, such as furniture, clothing, bedding, and cookware, were acquired in several ways. Some of the items were brought over with individual families, stored in the "holds" of ships from Mayflower onward. Other necessities were sent over for the town as a whole, arriving about once a year, if at all. The colonists also traded with Native People for furs, which were then sold in England or traded for English goods from passing ships.

4. How do you know what sorts of goods were brought over from England to Plymouth Colony?

Plimoth Plantation staff members examine documents written by the English colonists to determine what items were commonly imported from England. Probate inventories and provisions lists are two very useful sources. A probate inventory was a list of a person's possessions made after his/her death to ensure payment of debts and the orderly and fair division of property among heirs. Provisions lists include records of items sent to America by colonial organizers as well as published suggestions and checklists of what the well-equipped colonist should bring.

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hours: from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, 7 days a week March 22 through November 30, 2008
address: 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA 02360 USA
telephone: 1 + 508 746 1622