History half hours at the 1749 Courthouse

The public is invited to attend a series of mini-lectures on local history to be held this summer at the 1749 Court House, Town Square. Each “history half hour” will feature a topic related to Plymouth history. Lectures will be held on Tuesday evenings in July from 7 to 7:30 pm, and are free and open to the public; no reservations required.

The series opens on Tuesday, July 10 with a talk on North Street archeology by Craig Chartier of the Plymouth Archeological Rediscovery Project, which recently completed an excavation of the 18th century possible slave dwelling at 11 North Street. The dig produced thousands of artifacts that are being examined, cleaned and recorded. The lecture offers preliminary thoughts on the North Street project and its significance for local and African-American history. Chartier, active in New England archeology for over 20 years, manages his own professional archeological and research firm with a mission to foster greater appreciation for how archeology adds to the understanding of community history. Operating primarily in the old Plymouth Colony area, Chartier shares results and reports on many of his projects with the public via his website, www.PlymouthArch.com.

On July 14, Christine Sharbrough of the Cyrus E. Dallin Museum in Arlington will present “Cyrus Dallin's ‘Epic of the Indian’,“ an examination of the influence of Native Americans on the life and works of the Utah-born sculptor. Dallin may be best known for the iconic bronze statue of a Sioux chief, "Appeal to the Great Spirit," that stands in front of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, but he was also the creator of an important Plymouth artwork, the monumental statue of Massasoit erected in 1921 on Cole’s Hill. Sharbrough will provide insights into Dallin’s Native American connections in this half-hour slide presentation.

Upcoming lectures also include “Renovating the 1749 Courthouse” by Al Battista on July 24 and “Seafarers on the Hill” by Peg Baker on July 31.

The 1749 Court House is the oldest wooden court house in America, and today serves as a municipal museum of Plymouth history, featuring exhibits on the full range of Plymouth’s past, from colonial times to the 20th century.  The museum is open for tours every day from 10:30 am to 4 pm throughout the summer; admission is free.