Domestic architecture of Plymouth Colony 1650-1720

Abstract

In studies of early New England architecture, Southeastern Massachusetts and Plymouth Colony have received significantly less attention than the Massachusetts Bay Colony and region. This study aims to shed some new light on early houses in this region, through a synthetic analysis based in architectural fieldwork, documentary sources, and archaeological data. This study suggests that early Plymouth architecture was characterized by variety, adaptability, and innovation, even as houses were in general on a smaller scale than in neighboring Massachusetts Bay. Settlers found ways to adapt to diminished economic circumstances, integrating architectures of privacy and divided spaces even into smaller houses. This thesis will open the door for future studies of the understudied architectural resources of southeastern Massachusetts.