The Pilgrim Monument is Cape Cod’s oldest non-profit. Soaring 350 feet above Provincetown, it offers stunning views of the region, commemorating the Mayflower’s first landing in the New World in 1620 and drafting of the historic Mayflower Compact. After being blown off course, it was on our shores that the Pilgrims found safe harbor, spending five and a half weeks scouting the area and meeting the Indigenous Wampanoag people.
President Theodore Roosevelt laid its cornerstone in 1907 and President William H. Taft dedicated it upon completion in 1910. That same year, a building was added to house a museum, another first for Cape Cod. Since then, millions of visitors and generations of residents have climbed the Pilgrim Monument and strolled its grounds.
The Pilgrim Monument remains the tallest all-granite structure in the U.S. The institution remains committed to teaching people about the big role our small town has played in American history.
Experience it for yourself! Make plans to visit to the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum today.
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Monumental Quick Facts
- The Pilgrim Monument is 252 feet, 7.5 inches (77 meters) tall and rises 350 feet above sea level.
- The granite used in construction came from Stonington, Maine with each stone the thickness of the wall.
- The first piece of granite placed weighed 4,000 pounds.
- The tower design was patterned after the Torre Del Mangia in Siena, Italy.
- Famed architect Willard Thomas Sears designed the tower, along with such noteworthy commissions as Boston’s Old South Church, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Campobello Park in New Brunswick, Canada.
- The heart-healthy walk to the top covers 116 steps, 60 ramps and takes about 10 minutes.
- During your climb, you’ll see interior stones donated by cities, towns and organizations from across the U.S. Be sure to check if your city or town is represented.
- The government retained the right to use the Pilgrim Monument in wartime until 1959. In World War I, it served as a lookout, and in World War II, some believe it was the site of secret communications experiments.
View from the top – Check out our live-feed webcam for great views of the Outer Cape.
Timeline of a Tower
1892
The Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association (CCPMA) founded by public-spirited Cape Cod citizens for the purpose of erecting “some suitable structure upon Provincetown’s Town Hill.”
1902
Town of Provincetown deeds High Pole Hill to the CCPMA as a site for the Pilgrim Monument.
1907
The CCPMA envisions a bell tower or campanile and decides to pattern the structure after the Torre del Mangia in Siena, Italy. With $92,000 raised for construction, they commissioned famed Boston architect, Willard T. Sears to design the Pilgrim Monument. Sears also created notable landmarks including Boston’s Old South Church and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
1907, June 20th
Work on the Monument’s foundation begins and is completed on August 8.
1907, August 20th
President Theodore Roosevelt lays the cornerstone, giving the main speech in an imposing Masonic ceremony. He arrives in Provincetown that morning, sailing from his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island aboard a presidential yacht coincidentally named the Mayflower.
1908
By spring, requests for bids and specifications were sent out. The lowest one received was $73,865 and there were very strict rules regarding materials. Granite had to come from the quarries of John L. Goss of Stonington, Maine, only freshwater could be used for the mortar and cement work and work had to be completed by December 31, 1909, or a fine of five dollars per day would be assessed.
1908, June 1st
Construction begins and the first piece of granite, weighing 4,000 pounds, swings into place on the foundation. Work continues until November 26 when it is stopped due to bad weather.
1908, August 5th
An 84-year-old widow, Rosilla Bangs, meets her death when a rail car used to transport granite up High Pole Hill breaks away, rumored to be caused by a lightning strike. It careens downhill, crashes through a barrier and into Bangs’ path. The car would come to rest in the yard of a neighbor, Enos N. Young, ironically, the same town clerk who would file her death certificate.
1909, April 9th
Work resumes and continues throughout the summer. On August 21, it was announced that construction was almost complete and the last stone was ready to be put in place. With a small group of spectators watching, it rises quickly to its final resting place on the northeast corner, directly above the cornerstone.
1910, June
With the system of stairs and ramps complete, workers install bronze railings in the arches, heavy wooden shutters on the windows and oak doors at the entrances. This marks the completion of the Monument.
1920, August 5th
President William H. Taft dedicates the Pilgrim Monument on the anniversary of the day the Pilgrims set sail for America. Elaborate preparations are made, including the building of bleachers to hold 3,000 at its base. The day prior, the Atlantic fleet of the U.S. Navy sailed into Provincetown Harbor. Once again, the yacht Mayflower carries a president to Provincetown, dropping anchor near where its namesake is believed to have done the same in 1620.
The event was followed by a dinner at Town Hall. Afterward, rain forced crowds hoping to celebrate further to take cover. Outside, electricians stood firm, continuing to hang strings of bulbs, lighting the Monument in time for nightfall. Reportedly, festivities then resumed and continued very late into the evening.
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