Plymouth Rock: Vandalized With White Paint

Tar and feathers! I say!

A symbol of America’s founding has been targeted by vandals.

Someone poured white paint on Plymouth Rock early Friday. Police are still searching for the suspect or suspects.

“It’s one of our treasures, but to the country, this is basically where, you know, the beginning of the story, part of it anyway, and it’s hurtful. And I don’t know if it was done as a prank, or it was a hate thing.”
Dick Quintal
Plymouth Board of Selectmen.

Plymouth Rock is a solid, steadfast reminder of the birth of the nation, yet targeted and vandalized.

“I did see it. And it looked like a lead-based paint or an oil-based, I’d say. White paint, it was pretty well covered all over the ground,” Quintal said. “It was splattered all over the rock. It seemed to be about a gallon.”

“We have a couple of detectives working on it right now, looking at some video footage and trying to figure out who was in the area,” Plymouth Police Chief Michael Boteiri said.

Police are confident with leads, just like when Plymouth Rock was vandalized Feb. 17 and a juvenile was charged.

Surveillance cameras around the Mayflower Two captured much of the activity along Plymouth Harbor. But now there’s a new plan.

“I’m hoping that the state will put surveillance here in this location, also,” Quintal said.

The Labor Day holiday weekend is solid with crowds taking in Plymouth’s history.

“It’s just such a shame that people are so angry at things that happened in the past that they’re willing to destroy the present and the future…….It’s aggravating.”
Mati ConlinConcord
New Hampshire

“We’re not going to tolerate it. I mean, if we can prosecute someone, we will prosecute them to the full extent of the law.”
Michael Boteiri
Plymouth Police Chief

When vandals targeted the rock last time, other landmarks around town were also vandalized. This time around, only the rock was targeted.