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Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Road to Revolution: Tea Time

On November 28, 1773 the ship Dartmouth arrived in Boston Harbor with the first tea shipment. Its captain was required to pay customs duties within twenty days or face seizure of the ship and cargo.

A view of British ships in Boston Harbor in 1768, as an earlier crisis over taxation was escalating. - Massachusetts Historical Society
A view of British ships in Boston Harbor in 1768, as an earlier crisis over taxation was escalating. - Massachusetts Historical Society

Tug of War

“Patriots” were determined to prevent the landing of tea and payment of duties. Governor Hutchinson was adamant that the ship could not leave the harbor without payment. British Admiral John Montagu delayed preparing his war ships for winter. Three, including the flagship Captain, would prevent the Dartmouth from turning back to sea if the captain wished to avoid a confrontation. British guns on Castle Island would pound the ship if it attempted to leave the harbor.

Griffin’s Warf

This 1775 map by a British officer clearly shows Griffin’s Warf, location of the Tea Party. The land has since been filled in. Today, Boston’s Intercontinental Hotel occupies the site. - Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library
This 1775 map by a British officer clearly shows Griffin’s Warf, location of the Tea Party. The land has since been filled in. Today, Boston’s Intercontinental Hotel occupies the site.
- Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library

Boston’s Committee of Correspondence ordered Captain James Hall to avoid customs and bring the ship Dartmouth to Griffin’s Warf. Two additional ships, the Eleanor and Beaver, were later directed there. The Beaver had been delayed at anchor off Rainsford Island for a week for “cleansing and smoking,” because the crew was infected with smallpox.

Caught in the Middle

Merchant John Rowe owned the ship Eleanor. Conscious of risks, he advocated landing the ships at Griffin’s Warf instead of his own “Rowe’s Warf,” as originally ordered by the Patriots. Privately, he would have agreed to pay a duty. In a public meeting he questioned, “Whether a little Salt Water would not do it good, or whether Salt Water would not make as good Tea as fresh.”

Merchant John Rowe has been accused of “playing both sides” during the crisis. “Rowe’s Warf” remains a landmark on Boston’s waterfront. - Robert Feke, Massachusetts Historical Society
Merchant John Rowe has been accused of “playing both sides” during the crisis. “Rowe’s Warf” remains a landmark on Boston’s waterfront.
- Robert Feke, Massachusetts Historical Society