The Mayflower, the ship that carried the Puritan Pilgrims to the New World in 1620, is one of the most iconic vessels in American history.
Its voyage across the Atlantic, which took ten weeks, marked the beginning of a significant chapter in the story of the United States, leading to the founding of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the celebration of the first Thanksgiving.
The ship became a symbol of early American history, and every American child learns about its legendary journey.
However, after completing its momentous mission, the Mayflower did not end up preserved in a museum or sitting in the Smithsonian, as one might expect for such a historically significant vessel. Instead, its fate is less clear and subject to debate.
After the Pilgrims disembarked in 1620, the Mayflower returned to England. The ship’s captain, Christopher Jones, died in 1622, and by 1624, the ship was no longer in service.
Its owners, along with Jones’s widow, sought the Admiralty’s assessment for its worth, after which the ship was dismantled.
One popular but disputed theory is that the Mayflower’s timbers were repurposed to build a barn in the village of Jordans, located in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills.
This barn, which has since become known as Mayflower Barn, was once a point of interest for tourists, particularly for those visiting from the United States, eager to connect with the legacy of the famous ship.
However, as of 2022, the barn is on private property and is no longer accessible to the public.
Though the Mayflower Barn cannot be visited, the village of Jordans still holds a significant connection to early American history, as it is also the burial site of William Penn, the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania.
It’s a fascinating coincidence that one small village in Buckinghamshire may hold the remains of both the founder of a key American state and the timbers from the legendary ship that carried pilgrims to the New World.
While the true fate of the Mayflower’s timbers remains a mystery, the connection between Jordans and the early history of the United States remains undeniable, marking an interesting and somewhat poetic chapter in the legacy of the Mayflower.
