“A significant accomplishment of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants was the purchase, in 1941, of the Edward Winslow House in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is a beautiful residence, with a great deal of dignity and atmosphere. Its location on North Street is historic, as this was one of the five original roads laid out by the Pilgrims for their colony.

Edward Winslow, the great-grandson of Edward Winslow, third Governor of Plymouth Colony, constructed the house. Young Edward attended Harvard College, then settled in Plymouth where he became Clerk of the Court, Registrar of Probate and Collector of the Port. In 1741, he married the widow Hannah, a sister of Consider Howland, and built this house thirteen years later.

During this era, revolutionary fervor was blazing but Winslow remained a Royalist, and outspoken supporter of the King. This ultimately cost him his town offices and he fled to New York after the evacuation of Boston by the British. When he left Plymouth the house was sold to pay off his debts.

The house changed hands over the years with the Jackson family owning it, then Lucia J. Briggs using it as a summer residence until 1898. It was purchased by Charles L. Willoughby of Chicago who again used it as a summerhouse. The Mayflower Society was fortunate to obtain the house on the eve of World War II. Over the years different owners made additions to the structure and altered its gardens. Details of these alterations will be discussed during your tour of the house. An informative booklet discussing the story of the Mayflower Society House in depth is also available through the Society. It is called the House of Edward Winslow, and can be found in the ecommerce shop.”

I took the tour but don’t remember the exact facts of the alterations. It was something to do with one of the owners adding to the house so they built the second set of stairs to match the first set.