Podcast Summary:

The Memory Palace – "From The Memory Palace Audiobook: Fine New England Granite"
Host: Nate DiMeo
Release Date: November 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is a special holiday presentation of "Fine New England Granite," an excerpt from Nate DiMeo’s audiobook The Memory Palace: Two Short Stories of the Past. The story dives into the mythology and cultural legacy of Plymouth Rock—a symbol at the core of American origin stories and the evolving traditions of Thanksgiving. DiMeo uses his signature blend of poetic narration and historical investigation to unravel how meaning is layered onto objects, how history becomes myth, and how those myths are shaped by collective memory and need.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Miracle of the Podcast (04:02–07:15)

• Support and Survival: Nate reflects on the state of independent podcasts in a shifting industry, crediting Radiotopia and listener support for enabling the show’s longevity:

  “The show does not fit into the marketplace. It is odd in its format and in its length. It is too idiosyncratic in its approach. It is not supposed to work, but it does. And that can feel like a miracle, but it is not. It is Radiotopia.”
  – Nate DiMeo (04:02)

• Radiotopia’s Values: He describes Radiotopia’s mission-driven model and the choice to value artistic freedom over commercial imperatives:

  "I chose Radiotopia because I shared its values, that artists should get to make the art they want to make. And if you can find people who care, if you can find an audience, then you should get to be able to keep making that art."
  – Nate DiMeo (04:25)

2. On Storytelling and the Audiobook (06:30–07:47)

• Audiobook Release: Nate introduces his audiobook and highlights the cast of contributors—including celebrities and family members—and positions the selected story as a favorite, perfect for holiday listening:

  “Last year, ... Random House released the Memory Palace, ... a collection of Memory Palace stories, beloved and brand new ... audiobook that was one of the most satisfying things I have done in my professional life.”
  – Nate DiMeo (06:58)

• Story Choice: This story, "Fine New England Granite," is read by Nate himself due to its personal, first-person tone.

3. The Myth and Reality of Plymouth Rock (07:47–20:10)

Segment 1: The Liberty Pole and the Genesis of a Symbol (07:47–10:30)

• Setting the Scene: A group of men in Plymouth, 1774, seeks to outdo neighboring towns’ liberty poles by placing historic Plymouth Rock atop their own, using a boulder as a symbol of rebellion against England.

  "I like to think of the man in this first part of the story as just a bunch of dudes. Just a bunch of dudes doing dude things. Someone has an idea, probably while drinking. The year is 1774."
  – Nate DiMeo (07:47)

• Historical Context: The liberty pole tradition dates back to Rome, evolving to represent freedom and defiance.

Segment 2: The Invention of Plymouth Rock’s Significance (10:30–13:45)

• Thomas Faunce’s Role: The story recounts how in 1741, Thomas Faunce, aged 95, was carried to see the rock he was told as a child marked the Pilgrims’ landing—an origin story constructed from memory and sentiment, not historical record.

  "To this day historians debate whether Thomas Faunce's memory at 95 was accurate and whether that specific rock, or any rock for that matter, played any particular role in the Pilgrims arrival. But it is clear that it didn't hold any real significance, practical or sentimental to the pilgrims themselves ..."
  – Nate DiMeo (13:24)

• The Power of Poetry and Memory: The rock’s status arises not from fact, but from the poetry of a man’s tears, as immortalized by later observers.

Segment 3: The Creation and Mutation of an American Relic (13:45–17:30)

• 1774 Mishap: When townsmen attempt to move the rock to their liberty pole, it splits in half—prompting a blend of panic and improvisation:

  "And as their leather shoes touched that New England granite, ... they counted to three and they pushed. And Plymouth Rock sheared in half. The top just popped off like they were splitting a muffin ..."
  – Nate DiMeo (15:01)

• Turning the Accident into Myth: The breakage is reframed as a prophetic metaphor for colonial independence—evidence of the flexibility and creativity in creating national symbols.

• Pilgrimage and Pilfering: By the 19th century, visitors (including Alexis de Tocqueville) witness pieces of the rock scattered as souvenirs, further mythologizing its status.

Segment 4: The Ongoing Legacy and Doubt (17:30–20:10)

• Reconstruction and Reinscription: The rock is moved, dropped, and repaired multiple times; by the late 1800s and 1900s, it’s enshrined in monuments and protected from “relic hunters.”

  “In the 1860s, when the pilgrim story was fully enshrined as one of the pillars of capital H history, Thanksgiving became a national holiday. The genocide and forced removal of indigenous peoples in the west was in full swing. The Thanksgiving story ... was offered up to soothe the discomfort of white Americans.”
  – Nate DiMeo (18:23)

• Modern Reflection and Ambivalence: DiMeo closes by questioning whether it’s time to let the tides erase the rock’s myth, considering the distortion and erasure of indigenous stories and suffering in the national narrative:

  “There is so much that people have willfully gotten wrong about the story of the pilgrims in their first years in this place, Wampanoag land, that maybe we should just let the tide wash it away.”
  – Nate DiMeo (19:39) “I suspect they will move Plymouth Rock again one day. The old story, true or not, right or not, is too dear to too many people. People like to think what they think. I just hope they're more careful with it next.”
  – Nate DiMeo (20:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Mythmaking of History (13:24):
  “The thing that makes this rock Plymouth Rock is poetry.”
• On Colonial Improvisation (15:07):
  “And Plymouth Rock sheared in half. The top just popped off like they were splitting a muffin with a co worker at the free continental breakfast at the Airport Marriott.”
• On the Evolution of National Stories (18:23):
  “Thanksgiving became a national holiday. The genocide and forced removal of indigenous peoples in the west was in full swing. The Thanksgiving story, in its reductive construction paper pilgrim hat form, was offered up to soothe the discomfort of white Americans.”
• On Enduring Myths (20:07):
  “I suspect they will move Plymouth Rock again one day... I just hope they're more careful with it next.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 04:02 – Nate DiMeo on indie podcasting and Radiotopia’s role in the show’s existence.
• 06:58 – Announcing the audiobook, sharing its personal and professional significance.
• 07:47 – Start of “Fine New England Granite” story.
• 13:24 – The questioning of Plymouth Rock’s authenticity and the myth’s poetic origins.
• 15:01 – The mishap: Plymouth Rock splits during the liberty pole episode.
• 18:23 – The complicated origin of Thanksgiving as national myth.
• 19:39 – Reflections on indigenous history and the questionable tenacity of the Plymouth Rock myth.
• 20:07 – Concluding observation: “People like to think what they think. I just hope they're more careful with it next.”

Episode Tone & Style

True to Nate DiMeo’s style, the episode is reflective, wry, and poetic, blending humor (“splitting a muffin at the Airport Marriott”) with critique of myth-making and historical revisionism. The tone invites listeners not just to learn, but to question, appreciate uncertainty, and marvel at how stories and objects acquire meaning far beyond their material history.