The town in Massachusetts that erected a plaque for National Day of Mourning is Plymouth.
The annual observance began in Plymouth in 1970, when Wampanoag activist Wamsutta (Frank) James organized a gathering to challenge the traditional Thanksgiving narrative and draw attention to Indigenous history, land loss, and continuing discrimination. Native Americans and supporters still gather each Thanksgiving at Cole’s Hill, near Plymouth Rock.
In 1998, following a settlement between the town and the United American Indians of New England, Plymouth erected a bronze plaque on Cole’s Hill. The plaque acknowledges the event’s history and explains why many Indigenous people regard Thanksgiving as a day of remembrance and mourning rather than celebration. It also recognizes the genocide, dispossession, and cultural oppression experienced by Native peoples.
Plymouth is sometimes confused with the broader Massachusetts region or with nearby historic sites, but the plaque is specifically associated with the town of Plymouth and Cole’s Hill. National Day of Mourning is an annual protest and remembrance observance, not a federal holiday.