PROVINCETOWN – A new variety of apple is coming to Cape Cod to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Pilgrims arrival in Provincetown.
As part of a cross-cultural exchange the Bassetlaw District Council in the United Kingdom will give an apple tree known as the “Pilgrim Apple” to Provincetown 400.
The sapling is one of only 20 currently being grown in Nottinghamshire, England. The apple is grown in the English county where William Brewster and other Mayflower Pilgrims lived before embarking on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
The sapling will be planted this fall on the grounds of the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum. It will be the only place in the United States where this variety of apple will be grown.
“It is a pleasure to work on this horticultural project that will create lasting connections among places that have historic significance for the Mayflower Pilgrims,” said John Stirland, who is growing the apple trees in England.
“We are excited that there will be a ‘Pilgrim 400’ apple tree planted in Provincetown, where the Mayflower first landed in America. There’s so much interest in what we are doing that the Pilgrim 400 apple even has its own Twitter account.”
PMPM Executive Director and Provincetown 400 Task Force co-chair Dr. David Weidner said it will be an honor to plant the tree in Provincetown as a symbol of the growing relationship between the two regions that are rich in Pilgrim history.
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