Vandals over the weekend tagged Plymouth Rock , the famous stone that commemorates the supposed landing site of the Pilgrims who arrived via the Mayflower in 1620.
Several other local historical markers were also hit.
The defacement of these symbols of Plymouths history, or any public property for that matter, is unfathomable and unconscionable, Town Manager Melissa Arrighi wrote on Facebook .
The vandalism took place Sunday night or early Monday, and cleaning efforts are now underway.
#PlymouthRock vandalized overnight. Crews have removed the spray paint. Several other town monuments hit too. #7news
Photo courtesy of Peter Sullivan. pic.twitter.com/Y0kDaFHav3
#PlymouthRock vandalized overnight. Crews have removed the spray paint. Several other town monuments hit too. #7news
Kimberly Bookman (@KimberlyBookman) February 17, 2020
Photo courtesy of Peter Sullivan. pic.twitter.com/Y0kDaFHav3
The markings include 508 the local area code and the letters MOF.
Other markings include obscene words, a sad bunny face and five-pointed stars with 666 written around them.
We are saddened and sickened by the recent vandalism in our historic town. This is just one of our historic monuments that was hit. We will begin clean up as soon as possible and the police are investigating. pic.twitter.com/kQeTxO7sor
Melissa Arrighi (@MelissaArrighi) February 17, 2020","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Melissa Arrighi","author_url":"https://twitter.com/MelissaArrighi","cache_age":86400,"description":"We are saddened and sickened by the recent vandalism in our historic town. This is just one of our historic monuments that was hit. We will begin clean up as soon as possible and the police are investigating. pic.twitter.com/kQeTxO7sor Melissa Arrighi (@MelissaArrighi) February 17, 2020\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":2048,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQ_eHKtWoAcLIfx.jpg:large","thumbnail_width":1536,"title":"Melissa Arrighi on 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Massachusetts","slug":"plymouth-massachusetts","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/plymouth-massachusetts","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-massachusetts","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-massachusetts"},"relegenceId":3571763,"url":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-massachusetts"},{"name":"Pilgrims Plymouth Colony","slug":"pilgrims-plymouth-colony","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony"},{"name":"Plymouth Rock","slug":"plymouth-rock","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/plymouth-rock","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-rock","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-rock"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-rock"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">We are saddened and sickened by the recent vandalism in our historic town. This is just one of our historic monuments that was hit. We will begin clean up as soon as possible and the police are investigating. pic.twitter.com/kQeTxO7sor
Melissa Arrighi (@MelissaArrighi) February 17, 2020
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The rock commemorates the supposed landing site of the Pilgrims, or Puritan separatists who left England first for the Netherlands then, in 1620, for the Americas, eventually landing at Plymouth in December of that year.
The community will mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival with a series of events this year.
No rocks at all were mentioned in the documents and descriptions left by the Pilgrims themselves but rather it is a local legend that dates to about a century later and didnt appear in print until 1775, according to Pilgrim Hall Museum.
The 1620 inscription on the rock was added in 1859.
Our historic landmarks have been defaced... #WTF #PlymouthRock #TheMayflower pic.twitter.com/J7gWIf0GwE
Michelle Normandin (@shell062598) February 17, 2020","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Michelle Normandin","author_url":"https://twitter.com/shell062598","cache_age":86400,"description":"Our historic landmarks have been defaced... #WTF #PlymouthRock #TheMayflower pic.twitter.com/J7gWIf0GwE Michelle Normandin (@shell062598) February 17, 2020\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Michelle Normandin on 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Massachusetts","slug":"plymouth-massachusetts","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/plymouth-massachusetts","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-massachusetts","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-massachusetts"},"relegenceId":3571763,"url":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-massachusetts"},{"name":"Pilgrims Plymouth Colony","slug":"pilgrims-plymouth-colony","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/pilgrims-plymouth-colony"},{"name":"Plymouth Rock","slug":"plymouth-rock","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/plymouth-rock","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-rock","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-rock"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/plymouth-rock"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">Our historic landmarks have been defaced... #WTF #PlymouthRock #TheMayflower pic.twitter.com/J7gWIf0GwE
Michelle Normandin (@shell062598) February 17, 2020
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Plymouth Rock and other local sites have been attacked by vandals in the past, but this one seems more extensive.
This was the worst case of vandalism the town has ever seen, Kevin Depathy, a local man who started a GoFundMe campaign to create a reward for catching the vandals, told The Hill .
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Some of those past incidents included political messages, but police told USA Today there doesnt seem to be any political motivation behind the current wave of graffiti.
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