On December 13, 1773, unfair British taxes were on everyone’s mind as three ships sat in Boston harbor, carrying shipments of East India Company tea. Lexington Town Meeting concluded a multi-day debate with a resolution to stop purchasing or drinking imported British tea. The crowd spilled out onto the common behind the meeting house and made a bonfire, throwing the entire town’s supply of tea into it. Three days later, the Boston Tea Party would make headlines, but Lexington was there first.
Join Lexington History Museums for Lexington’s Annual Tea Burning Reenactment. Take part in fun, interactive activities to learn more about why tea was so important to the Revolution. Meet with the Lexington residents of 1773, portrayed by the Lexington Minute Men, to hear their side of the story, find out where tea comes from, and end the day by gathering around the fire and burning the tea!
