What is the John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites?
Q: What is the John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites?
A: The John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites is a National Historic Landmark consisting of two properties in Duxbury, Massachusetts, United States.
Q: What does the property owe its significance to?
A: The property owes it significance to the cultural impact of The Courtship of Miles Standish, a poem about the courtship of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, written by Alden descendant Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and published in 1858.
Q: How popular was this poem?
A: The public embraced the poem. It became one of the most popular national origin stories in American folklore.
Q: Who conducted important archeological fieldwork at this site?
A: Roland Wells Robbins (1908-1987) conducted important archeological fieldwork and analysis at this site. He was a pioneer in the field of historical archeology, making the site of national significance in the development in this field.
Q: What did Robbins locate and excavate at this site?
A: Robbins located and excavated a foundation of the original Alden home in 1960.
Q: What data did his excavation yield?
A: His excavation yielded nationally significant data that shed light on the lifeways of the first English settlers in North America.
Q: What impact did Robbins' work have on historical archeology? A: His work made this site nationally significant for its contribution to development within historical archeology as a whole.
