Invite a friend
Re-enactment of Lexington tea burning (December 13, 1773)
Munroe Tavern, P.O. Box 514, Lexington, MA | Get Directions »
FREE
Hear Rev. Clarke proclaim against use of tea, fife and drum music, come in Colonial dress if you can and contribute tea to the bonfire. Join us for coffee and hot chocolate inside Munroe Tavern.
Event Details
| Where | Munroe Tavern P.O. Box 514, Lexington, MA 02420 |
| Next on | This event is over. |
| Time | 3:00 pm |
| Who to bring | Everyone |
| Website | http://www.lexingtonhistory.org |
| Phone | 781-862-1703 |
| office@lexingtonhistory.org | |
| Price | $0 |
More About Munroe Tavern
Operated by the Lexington Historical Society, the Munroe Tavern is located one mile east of Lexington Common on Massachusetts Avenue. Built around 1695, the tavern is named after William Munroe, orderly sergeant of Captain Parker's minuteman company in 1775. Munroe served as tavern proprietor from 1770 to 1827. Many family articles from this period are on display in the tavern, including an eighteenth century tavern sign and a fine wooden tricorn hat box dating from the Revolutionary period. President Washington dined at the Munroe Tavern when he visited the Lexington battlefield in 1789. An upstairs room contains the table at which Washington sat and the documents related to his trip.
Susan Rubenstein
12:21 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
I never heard of this. Can you expand on the subject matter?
Amanda Grant
1:15 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Three days before the Boston Tea Party, citizens of Lexington burned all their tea in a common bonfire. Lexington’s minister Jonas Clarke issued an incendiary declaration of support for the people of Boston, warning that anyone in Lexington who consumed tea would be treated “as an enemy of this town and this country.” Clarke’s fiery words resonate through history, a foreshadowing of events to come: “Should the State of Our Affairs require it, We shall be ready to Sacrifice our Estates, and every thing dear in Life, Yea & Life itself, in support of the common Cause.”
Jane M. Morse
10:17 am on Saturday, December 15, 2012
A couple of comments: First, the correct address for Munroe Tavern is 1332 Mass. Ave. And second: Don't be bothered if you've never heard of this historic event. It had been lost to history and no one in "modern times" knew about this early tea burning in Lexington until researchers at the Lexington Historical Society unearthed the facts a few years back, studied the event, and found the sources. It's now an important part of our house tours and any discussion of Lexington in the 1700's! Jane Morse
Patrick Ball
10:25 am on Saturday, December 15, 2012
Hi Jane,
Thanks for sharing that great information about the Tea Burning. Regarding the address, I'm not sure why the address on the listing has changed to the P.O. box, but the Munroe Tavern listing is actually managed by the Historical Society -- perhaps they'll provide a little insight.