Donate to the Meetinghouse

Giving Slider for Meetinghouse
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Donate to the Meetinghouse

From the time the Mayflower Pilgrims’ first Meetinghouse was built at the top of Leyden Street in Plymouth in 1621, a place of spiritual ministry has continued there to this day.

The Mayflower Meetinghouse (formerly the National Pilgrim Memorial Meetinghouse) is the fifth spiritual structure built on this location and, in 2014, was added to both the National Register of Historic Places and the List of Massachusetts’ Most Endangered Resources.

Since the General Society of Mayflower Descendants was founded in 1897, the same year the present structure was built at the top of Leyden Street, families of descendants – our families – have made regular pilgrimages to this spot. In fact, our Member Societies have helped to furnish this structure with Tiffany stained-glass windows from the New York and New Jersey Societies, objects in the sanctuary from Rhode Island, as well as many other contributions through the years.

To save the building they love, the First Parish Church congregation, former owners of the Mayflower Meetinghouse, agreed to donate it to The Mayflower Society upon the condition that funds be put in place to permanently maintain it, and that they be allowed to continue scheduling their services there.

Meetinghouse signing
During Congress 2017, The General Society of Mayflower Descendants and First Parish Church signed a Joint Venture Agreement establishing a Charitable Trust.

Along with the Meetinghouse, The Mayflower Society is the steward of all church records from modern times back to 1620, written by William Bradford, William Brewster, Robert Cushman and many others. There are references and stories of our Mayflower ancestors going back to Leiden, information that simply must be curated and properly maintained permanently. There is no group better to do this than the actual descendants of the Mayflower Pilgrims!

Our decision to restore the building and create a fund to support this beautiful structure and its records will be one of the most important legacies of The Mayflower Society.

For more information about the Mayflower Meetinghouse, contact Former Governor General Lea Sinclair Filson, Meetinghouse Fundraising Chair, at fggfilson@themayflowersociety.org.

Donate to the Mayflower Meetinghouse

Checks should be made payable to:
The Mayflower Society with ‘Meetinghouse’ in the subject line.

Mail to:
The Mayflower Society
18 Winslow Street
Plymouth, MA 02360

Please note, a donation toward the Meetinghouse of $1,620+ does not qualify for the Governor General’s 1620 Club

Thank you for your dedication and generosity to preserve the story of our Pilgrim ancestors. The General Society is honored to work with all who are dedicated to the heritage of our Mayflower ancestors.