On Dec. 16, 1620, a ship that carried 102 English passengers completed a perilous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Plymouth, England, and anchored offshore of today’s Plymouth, MA. The Mayflower’s passengers would become known to us as Pilgrims, and the story of their settlement in America would inspire future generations and become part of the larger story of the nation’s founding ideals.

The Pilgrims’ story is intertwined with the story of the Wampanoag — People of the First Light — who made an alliance with the Pilgrims and forged a treaty with them that maintained relative peace for more than 50 years. The Pilgrims might not have survived their first year without the help and advice of the Wampanoag, with whom they celebrated their first harvest in the fall of 1621.

The Mayflower Compact, Plymouth Rock, Thanksgiving — all became part of the enduring legacy of this tiny band of settlers we honor on the 400th anniversary.

Artist Greg Harlin illustrated the stamp, using a combination of watercolor, gouache and acrylics, with some digital refining to convey a scene of desolate beauty at the end of the Pilgrims’ harrowing journey to an unfamiliar world.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp and pane.

The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.