Powder Point Bridge; Duxbury, MA

The Powder Point Bridge at the shore of Duxbury, MA once was listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the oldest and longest wooden bridge in the world. The half-mile-long bridge that leads to Duxbury Beach and eventually, Marshfield, was rebuilt in the 1980s, losing its place in the records book. Duxbury is a coastal community of approximately 24 square miles, located 35 miles southeast of Boston in Plymouth County. One of Massachusetts’ earliest communities, Duxbury was incorporated in 1637. Its first European inhabitants were Pilgrims who moved here from Plymouth Colony to establish family homesteads. John Alden, Elder Brewster, and Myles Standish were among Duxbury’s early settlers, establishing family farms near the shore. Duxbury is among the many South Shore towns which value their historic buildings, coastal character, and scenic roadside views. Duxbury’s rich historic heritage stretches back almost four centuries to the time of the Plymouth Colony. Sites include: the John Alden House; the Myles Standish cellar hole overlooking Plymouth Harbor on Standish Shore; the gravesites of John Alden, Priscilla Mullin, Elder Brewster, Myles Standish and few others; and the Elder Brewster lilacs located at the site of former Elder Brewster Homestead, said to have arrived on the Mayflower, and still thriving on Standish Shore. The Alden Kindred of America is in the process of applying for National Historic Landmark status for the John Alden House Museum as well as the first site and foundation of the original 1627 John Alden House.