“Plymouth in the Revolution: Loyalist Memorials and Revolutionary War Pension Applications” (Plymouth)

Now that 2026 is upon us, many Americans will have been conjuring up distant memories of high school history lessons – Bunker Hill and Saratoga, George Washington at Valley Forge, the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown to the tune of “The World Turned Upside Down.” Plymouth, though, is not a name that usually pops into people’s minds when hearing the words “American Revolution.”  The Revolution, though, was far more than generals or battles. Plymouth, like every small town in the thirteen colonies, sent its men off to war. In choosing to follow those generals and fight in those battles, they made the Revolution possible. Plymouth also saw some of its own vehemently protest the war; they too paid a price for their principles.

How can we retrieve the experiences, the stories, of these men? Some, at least, of the answers can be found in Loyalist Memorials & Revolutionary War Pension Applications.

Please join Peggy Baker as she explores the history of these extraordinary primary source documents and shares some of the stories of the Plymoutheans who submitted them, as Plymouth remembers the Revolution during its 250th anniversary year.