Press Kit
Our Founder

Plimoth Plantation's Founder
Henry Hornblower II

Henry (Harry) Hornblower, a Bostonian by birth, had spent his boyhood summers at his family's summer house in Plymouth. Harry became fascinated by the story of the "Pilgrims" and their Native neighbors. Not satisfied with learning about the town's history through books and the various local history exhibits, he carried out a number of archaeological excavations around the town. It became Harry's ambition to bring the remarkable story of Plymouth Colony and the colonists' struggle for survival to the people of America in the most effective way possible.

Unfortunately for Harry there was nothing surviving to show what the actual early colonial experience had been. Plymouth Rock, a national symbol dedicated to the first settlers, might be a fine memorial, but it required considerable imagination to connect this venerable icon to their dramatic story. Challenged, Harry explored various means for increasing the colonists'recognition. He finally settled upon the concept of a "English Village," to recreate the colony Governor William Bradford describes in his history, Of Plimouth Plantation. Harry had a dream — an idea. He nurtured it, shared it, and with consummate art, persuaded others to join him in the task of making that dream take form and substance.

That dream is Plimoth Plantation. Inspired by the restorations of several early Plymouth structures Harry managed in 1945 to convince his father, Ralph Hornblower, to make a donation of $20,000 to Plymouth's Pilgrim Society as the foundation for a future open-air museum. It took only two years to recognize that the English Village project was beyond the scope of its parent organization. It was decided by the trustees of the Pilgrim Society that an independent corporation should be created. Plimoth Plantation, Inc. was legally incorporated on October 2, 1947 to serve as a "memorial to the Pilgrim Fathers" [to further] the historical education of the public with respect to the struggles of the early settlers in the Town of Plymouth, with the expansion of that settlement and the influence of the Pilgrim fathers throughout the world."

Harry was devoted to Plimoth Plantation. He was not only instrumental in establishing and building the institution, but also maintained a life-long interest in all the aspects of the Plantation's ability to bring the history of the English Colonists and the Wampanoag People to life. Both a visionary and a hard-working, practical man, Harry wanted the Plantation experience to be exciting, fulfilling, and challenging for staff and public alike. He was the Plantation's greatest booster, charming and cajoling any number of different people into supporting his dream of bringing the Plymouth Colony story to a worldwide audience. He was concerned with maintaining the historical integrity of every aspect of the exhibit but never lost sight of the need to inspire as well as educate the visitor.

Harry Hornblower's enthusiasm was rare. He never made the mistake of thinking that all the answers had been found, nor that all the evidence was in hand. That's why the margins of our knowledge about the roots of the American experience have been pushed back significantly, due in large measure to his efforts, his good counsel and his generosity.