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A directory of the active members in the Michigan Society is available by
e-mail to members only. It is in Excel, is free of charge, and can be
obtained by putting in a request to the directory chairperson, Anne Burtt.
Click here to contact Mrs. Burtt. |
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Francis Cooke
House: On November 19th, fire destroyed one of the houses in
the 17th-Century English Village. Thanks to the rapid response of
the Plymouth Fire Department and our own staff, the fire was quickly
contained and no staff, guests or anima ls
were ever in danger. We rely on our hearth fires to demonstrate historic
foodways, warm the Village houses for staff and guests, and create a
welcoming space for conversations and learning on cool, crisp autumn days.
But on Saturday, within an hour after we started our usual hearth fire, the
chimney of the Francis Cooke house was ablaze, quickly moving to the roof
and other parts of the structure.
As you know, our living history exhibits create a richly evocative
environment that helps us tell the stories of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag
People. It is distressing not to have this wonderful house available at this
busy time of year. Although insurance is expected to cover a portion of the
costs of reconstruction, we are asking our friends and supporters to
consider a gift to help with the rebuilding efforts.
In this season of gratitude, we are very thankful to you for all the ways
that you support Plimoth. Your generosity helps us to provide an authentic
living history experience for the nearly 360,000 visitors we serve each
year. We hope you will consider a special gift as we face unbudgeted
expenses to rebuild the Francis Cooke house.
Click here to donate online now!
Ellie Donovan, Executive Director |
Bonnie Vokits
in costume at Plymouth, where her ancestors landed in America.
In a few days,
we will be celebrating Thanksgiving again. For some it is just a time for
family and friends to gather for a big dinner. Usually, at some point I
recall my mother and grandmother reminding me that I am a descendent of
Elder William Brewster. I also recall that picture I had seen in grade
school of the Pilgrims and Indians sitting around a table outside on the
lakeshore and a man praying for the plentiful harvest they were about to
share.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this picture does not do
justice to what they went through for almost 20 years prior to that first
Thanksgiving. I never would have learned about that story if we had not
taken a Mayflower Descendant tour of England and Holland where we journeyed
through the hometowns and parishes of the Pilgrims and heard the story from
the English and Dutch. It is a story that is not even written in our own
textbooks. It is a story of a group of people whose life was a journey of
sacrifice, commitment, courage and a deeper faith than I have ever known, in
order to have the freedom to worship the God they had come to know. It is a
story of how two men, William Brewster and William Bradford, who became the
leaders of the Separatists Movement, had become friends while studying at
Cambridge. They were exposed to the teachings of Luther and Calvin and were
influenced by the Protestant Reformation, which had been going on in Europe.
They began studying the Bible in secret, out of fear of being caught and
executed for opposing the Queen, who was the Supreme head of the Church of
England. They began to realize what she required to be taught and to believe
was contrary to the Bible. As their relationship with God grew, so did their
numbers. They also realized it was too dangerous to stay in England.
Excerpt from the
Muskegon Chronicle. 22 November 2011. |

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Membership Luncheons |
board meetings |
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12 May 2012
SPRING LUNCHEON,
Kellogg Center, East Lansing, MI
http://www.kelloggcenter.com/
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11:30 Reception
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12:00 Noon Luncheon
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November
2012 COMPACT DAY LUNCHEON,
Cascades Manor
House, 1970 Kibby Road, Jackson, MI
http://www.cascadesmanor.com/
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11:30 Reception
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12:00 Noon Luncheon
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12 May
2012: Spring Board Meeting at 9 A.M. Kellogg Center (Please plan to
order breakfast off the menu in the State Room meeting room.)
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August 2012: Summer Board Meeting at 10 A.M. Kellogg Center (Please
plan to order lunch off the menu in the State Room Meeting Room.)
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Newsletters (PDF)
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