The Pilgrim Bronze Bas Relief located at the bottom of the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, Massachusetts, celebrates the signing of the Mayflower Compact. This historic event would be definitional to the founding of the United States of America, which this landmark celebrates in a way that has come to attract audiences of all eras.
“The first American Act in history”
The English settlers who traveled to the New World on the Mayflower in 1620 were intent on settling in Virginia. When they landed in Massachusetts instead of Virginia, the passengers wrote up the Mayflower Compact to ensure civil order amidst passengers who had very different ideas about how they would operate in this new world. The signing of this document has been referred to as “the first American Act in history.” Additionally, many see it as the beginning of a democratic government that would define the foundation of the United States.
To commemorate this historic event, a bronze bas relief was installed at the Provincetown Town Green at the base of what was then the recently completed Pilgrim Monument in 1920. Originally referred to as Signing the Compact, but now better known as the Bas Relief, it depicts the signing of this agreement In a framed granite structure seventy feet long and twenty feet high.
Created by Cyrus E. Dallin, the park and monument are connected to the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ landfall in Provincetown. The relief itself depicts the actual signing of the Mayflower Compact, while nearby memorials are dedicated to five Mayflower passengers who died while the ship lay in the harbor as well as a tablet with the writing of the actual document.
Directly connected to the monumetous Pilgrim Monument, the Pilgrim Bronze Bas Relief has a unique appeal that further cultivates experiences for both residents and visitors. By defining the Town Green in such a notable manner, the landmark highlights what it can mean to connect audiences on multiple levels.
Connected to the Region and Nation
Recognized as a significant landmark that fittingly celebrates an important historical event to the region and nation, the Pilgrim’s Bronze Bas Relief anchors what might otherwise be an empty space. Doing so has cultivated activity and attention in a way that has allowed it to be featured in countless maps and guides to the region, benefiting the community in ways that positively impact the present and future.
