Mont Vernon’s Tea from Boston’s Party

Most of us subjected to the History Curriculum in our public schools may remember the Boston Tea Party as one of a series of events that lead to the war which would empower our country to rule itself. Go Pats. In my mind, the story gets much more interesting when we consider the experience of average Bostonians, folks that were more like you and me 250 years ago. It’s because of these people that a few ounces of that infamous tea has managed to survive to present day, and some of it actually resides right here in Mont Vernon! The story of how this came to be is an example of history’s randomness… in all that becomes important, and all that manages to survive the ravages of time…

A story like this can only begin in Boston. More than 15,000 colonists called the place home back in the 1700’s. One of them was a lamplighter by the name of Elias Proctor. Like most of his neighbors, the intensifying political climate was much on his mind. England had been struggling with debt for years and looked towards America as a natural source of revenue. Revenue levied by taxation. Elias surely didn’t like taxes any more than we do today, but what really made him mad was that the English government allowed the colonists no say in how the taxes were collected or how they were spent. King George III and his parliament cared little about how their policies were stressing the American economy. All the colonists could do was protest… but these protests were ignored, despite their increasing number and rigor.

Not surprisingly, tax on English Tea inspired such protests. Colonists like Elias had taken up boycotting the stuff, opting to sip smuggled Dutch tea instead. These actions nearly bankrupted the British East India Company, and did not sit well with the English ruling party. The situation came to a head on December 16th, 1773, when the last of 3 ships, laden with East India tea arrived at Griffen’s Warf in Boston Harbor. Elias may have been among the large group of citizens that met at the Old South Meeting House and voted to refuse to pay taxes on the tea, or even allow it to be unloaded, stored, or sold.

But Governor Thomas Hutchinson was in no mood to accommodate a bunch of whiney peasants, and proclaimed that the tea be brought to shore, and the tea tariff paid. He made it was clear that there would be no compromise.

Undaunted, more than 100 frustrated English Colonists loosely disguised as Mohawks quietly boarded the 3 British East India ships that same night.  For the next 3 hours they sank their tomahawks into every chest of tea they could find before throwing it into the salty waters of Boston Harbor.  When they were done, 90,000 pounds of ruined product was floating with the tide, sending a message loud and clear to King George III…  Taxation without representation would not be tolerated!

We don’t know to what extent Elias Proctor participated in any of this, but we do know that he joined other colonists in salvaging the broken crates of tea that washed ashore. It was against the law to take the tea, but the Yankee in all of us hates to let anything go to waste. The tea was ruined for brewing, but it made a great dye for cloth. Over the next few years, much of what was salvaged was likely used for that purpose. Remember, the American Revolution had not started yet, and it would not be won for another ten years. As much as folks wanted their liberty, it must have been hard to imagine a rag tag army of untrained and underfunded rebels taking on and beating the most advanced army in the world. I imagine any salvaged Tea Party Tea that survived for a decade after its dip in the ocean must have gained major sentimental value once the Revolutionary War was won. When Elias gifted family members with his stash, we are told that he always proclaimed the great cause for which it had been sacrificed.

It was from just such a gift that the Horne Family of Dover, NH received some of Elias’s tea.  There is a very good chance that it was Mary Horne Batchelder who put some of it in the small vial we have in the museum today.  She thought the 117 year old tea would make a nice wedding gift to her children when they got married. She gave some to her son who went west with it and his bride, settling in Kansas. She also gave some to her daughter Marcia who married Frank Lamson on January 9, 1890.  Mr. Lamson would bring his new wife and the old tea back to Mont Vernon to live on the farm that bears the family’s name to this day. It would reside there for another generation or two. In the 1970’s, the couple’s daughter, Ella M. Lamson, gave the now 200 year old tea to the Mont Vernon Historical Society where it has been treasured ever since.

The tea that went west to Kansas got donated to the local Historical Society as well, we have confirmed that the story of their tea’s origins matches ours. However, someone there opened the vial and the contents turned to dust! Forever ruined. How many samples were saved only to be lost in fires, or moves, or just forgotten and tossed out like so much of the historical nonsense we humans manage to save in our lifetimes? We will never know.

In 2001, Mont Vernon’s Historical Society was contacted by the Boston Tea Party Museum. Their building had burned to the ground after being struck by lightning and they hoped to acquire our tea to help rebuild their collection. However, Sandra Kent, our museum’s curator at the time, felt it should remain here in town as part of our heritage. A decision that proved its worth as the rebuilt Tea Party museum caught fire again in 2007!

An internet search provided some information on other samples conserved right here in New England.

It is amazing to think that all of us Mont Vernonites have such a concrete connection to this incredible event in world history! Now you have a chance to have your picture taken with this historic item, an offer that is not available anywhere else in the country!! Lamson Farm day is coming back on September 25 this year. Mont Vernon’s Historical Society will host a photo booth where folks can get their picture taken with the tea for the modest donation of $10.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MVHS Monthly Meeting~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are a lot of new folks in town these days. A whole bunch of them visited our museum while it was open for Old Home Days in August. The Historical Society is happy to welcome any interested residents (past or present) to our meetings!! This month, our meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 7. Our meetings start at 7:00 and are located on the first floor of our Historic Town Hall. Please come on by to participate, share, or just observe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MEMBERSHIP~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Efforts continue to catch members up on their dues… Help put a smile on our Treasurer’s face and support the Society’s efforts to find, preserve, and share Mont Vernon’s unique history. $20 is all it takes! Make checks payable to: Mont Vernon Historical Society and mail them to PO Box 15, Best Little Town in NH, 03057.

Thank you for being a History Hero.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MUSEUM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Look for our booth at Lamson Farm Day!! The museum does not have formal hours after today (September 4th) but it is accessible via appointment.

Please email Maryjo: [email protected].

Our hours are posted on the Mont Vernon Chatter Facebook page.