Boston Tea Party chest to be returned

Bosotn Herald ^ | 6/13/12 | AP

[edzo4]

BOSTON — A rare tea chest that was flung overboard during the Boston Tea Party in 1773 is returning to its original site, before being prominently displayed in a new museum.

The Robinson Half Tea Chest, which was recovered from sand off Boston Harbor the morning after colonists tossed 340 tea chests into the water in an act of rebellion, will be paraded through the city Wednesday afternoon.

The chest, one of two remaining, will make its way from the Old South Meeting House to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, which is slated to open June 26.

[edzo4]

Nice, I will be back in Boston on the 26th and my office is right off congrees street

[Izzy Dunne]

Full of racists, no doubt.

< /sarcasm >

[longfellow]

IT’S A SIGN!

[afraidfortherepublic]

No picture?

[edzo4]

well being Boston I would bet the sign says NO PARKING

[afraidfortherepublic]

Robinson Half Tea Chest history

[edzo4]

There was not a picture with the story this is from the Constitution Blog

[afraidfortherepublic]

Now THAT’s a picture. Thanks.

[Madam Theophilus]

Two tidbits from the history of the Boston Tea Party that I always have found interesting.

The tea that was thrown overboard, had it gone to market, would have been the cheapest priced tea ever sold in the colonies. The British government had worked a deal with the East India Company to allow them to trade the tea directly from India rather than going through London. This was done in order to make the tea cheaper so as to undercut the protest about taxes. However, the colonists would rather buy more expensive tea than pay taxes. (Oh, would that same spirit be widespread today!)

Secondly, Samuel Adams paid for all the tea that was thrown overboard so there could be no charge of stealing.

[ansel12]

Thanks, that was a good deed.

[rlmorel]

DISCLAIMER: I just found out (right before I posted this) that colonials didn't get tea shipped in bricks...pity! I presume the site was knowledgable, but dang it! I typed this already and I ain't throwing it out!)

I thought other Freepers might find this interesting. (I just found this out last week while visting James Madison's house in Virginia.

Back in 1773 when this chest was tossed into the harbor, it was likely filled with these, or something very much like it:

This is a tea brick. It is tea, compressed into brick form. These were likely stacked densely into that chest.

My wife and I saw one, and were so intrigued by it because we had no idea and asked the clerk in the store at Madison's house, and she told us what it was.

There was something beautiful about it, and we had to buy one...they cost about $25 for a small one, and 45 for a large one twice the size.