Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum

On the cold night of December 16, 1773, a group of fiery colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians burst from the Old South Meeting House and headed to Griffin’s Wharf, where they clambered aboard the three ships harbored there. Outraged by the taxes that the British imposed on tea and other imports, the colonists, armed with axes and hatchets, destroyed 342 crates of British tea, defiantly dumping the precious cargo into the sea. Today, the Boston Tea Party Ship remembers this spirited rebellious act. Artifacts include the Robinson Tea Chest, which was retrieved from the harbor on the morning after the Tea Party. At the time of research, the museum was closed for rebuilding after suffering extensive fire damage. Re-opening – currently set for summer 2010 – has been delayed for years due to lack of funding. If it ever opens, the new museum is expected to include full-size replicas of the historic tall ships the Dartmouth and the Eleanor, in addition to the brig Beaver. And no doubt visitors will still be invited to drink their fill of tax-free tea.