This Mayflower passenger was no saint

SPARTA — Did you know that one of the passengers on the Mayflower had already lived in the New World, survived a shipwreck and Jamestown, dodged a death sentence, returned to England, then came back in 1620 with the founders of Plimoth Colony? Would you like to meet him and hear his tales?

The Sparta Historical Society is pleased to present “Stranger Among Saints: Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower” on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mohawk Ave. School, 18 Mohawk Ave., Sparta.

This entertaining and informative program is free, open to the public, and appropriate for adults and teenagers.

It is funded by the Horizon Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Stephen Hopkins was no saint (as the separatist founders of Plimoth Colony referred to their congregation, the Church of Saints) but his previous experience in the New World made him a useful and respected member of the group of New England settlers popularly known as the Pilgrims.

Find out about the politics, religion, economics, Native American relations, and social life of the first permanent settlement in New England from his unique perspective.

Stephen Hopkins visits Sparta thanks to actor David Emerson.

For over 20 years, Emerson has worked at living history museums and as an independent storyteller, teaching history through the eyes of a person of the past. He is a veteran of Colonial Williamsburg, Plimoth Plantation, Morristown National Historical Park, and The Old Barracks Museum.

Emerson is also part of History on the Hoof, a company that specializes in unique presentations on themes in American History. He arrives in period costume, speaks Old English, and remains in character for the evening.

For more information, contact Program Chairman Marjorie Strohsahl at 973-729-5153.

The regular meeting of the Sparta Historical Society will be held at 7 p.m. that evening at the Mohawk Ave. School, just prior to the Mayflower presentation.

For more about the Sparta Historical Society, contact Membership Chairman Peter Trusio at 973-670-6502 or ptrusio@sciroccogroup.com.