My girls have been very into Revolutionary War history recently. That is partly due to a few trips to Williamsburg. The premiere of Hamilton on Disney+ has also contributed. I had wonderful plans for visiting Revolutionary War sites in New England this year, but COVID has put an end to most of my plans. Numerous museums and historical sites remain close. But there are exceptions.
The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum is a site we have wanted to visit for a couple of years and, happily, it is open. The movie theater portion of the experience remains closed, but most of it is open.
Upon arrival, we were brought into a Meeting House where a Revolutionary explained the dramatic situation between the Colonists and British. Cleverly, the reenactors applauded the required pandemic face masks as a perfect disguise for our protest.
We were then taken onto the first of two ships. There were numerous reenactors on the ship to explain the lay out as well as to explain the difficulties of pulling large crates of tea out of the storage deck below. Once we were back on the top deck, the girls picked up crates made to resemble the original tea crates and tossed them overboard. You will note in our pictures below there is a rope attached so the crates can easily be retrieved.
We then moved to the museum portion. Interestingly, there is a vile with some of the tea from the Boston Tea Party which one of the men removed from his boot. There is also a crate that washed ashore after the tea party that had been kept for generations by a family.
After the museum, we moved to a second ship, where the girls were able to toss more crates over the side. Prior to boarding this ship, we were informed that this particular ship had just returned from quarantine due to small pox. The reenactor explained the ship had to be wiped down with vinegar and burning sulfur was used to cleanse it. The reenactor asked the girls, "Have you ever been quarantined? It is so hard." I loved this addition, because it connected the girls recent COVID-19 experience to what other went through in the past.
At the end of our tour, we went to Abigail's Tea Room for a complimentary cup of tea. We also chose a few other tea treats, such as tasty scones and a piece of Boston cream pie, which the girls shared.
The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum is a site we have wanted to visit for a couple of years and, happily, it is open. The movie theater portion of the experience remains closed, but most of it is open.
Upon arrival, we were brought into a Meeting House where a Revolutionary explained the dramatic situation between the Colonists and British. Cleverly, the reenactors applauded the required pandemic face masks as a perfect disguise for our protest.
We were then taken onto the first of two ships. There were numerous reenactors on the ship to explain the lay out as well as to explain the difficulties of pulling large crates of tea out of the storage deck below. Once we were back on the top deck, the girls picked up crates made to resemble the original tea crates and tossed them overboard. You will note in our pictures below there is a rope attached so the crates can easily be retrieved.
We then moved to the museum portion. Interestingly, there is a vile with some of the tea from the Boston Tea Party which one of the men removed from his boot. There is also a crate that washed ashore after the tea party that had been kept for generations by a family.
After the museum, we moved to a second ship, where the girls were able to toss more crates over the side. Prior to boarding this ship, we were informed that this particular ship had just returned from quarantine due to small pox. The reenactor explained the ship had to be wiped down with vinegar and burning sulfur was used to cleanse it. The reenactor asked the girls, "Have you ever been quarantined? It is so hard." I loved this addition, because it connected the girls recent COVID-19 experience to what other went through in the past.
At the end of our tour, we went to Abigail's Tea Room for a complimentary cup of tea. We also chose a few other tea treats, such as tasty scones and a piece of Boston cream pie, which the girls shared.
After we left the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, we headed to the other historical site that I had confirmed was open. The Paul Revere House was built in the 1680s, though Paul Revere did not purchase it until 1770. It is the oldest building in Downtown Boston. It is quite unusual to see 17th Century beams in our country.
The girls enjoyed seeing the giant fireplace that an individual could literally walk into as well as the pizza oven-type opening in the bricks, which was their oven. They were amused to learn that it was common to entertain guests in the finest bedroom, because the bed was the most expensive piece of furniture in the house and the owner wanted to show it off. They also learned it is best not to be the youngest in a family, because it was the job of the youngest child to empty the chamber pot.
The girls enjoyed seeing the giant fireplace that an individual could literally walk into as well as the pizza oven-type opening in the bricks, which was their oven. They were amused to learn that it was common to entertain guests in the finest bedroom, because the bed was the most expensive piece of furniture in the house and the owner wanted to show it off. They also learned it is best not to be the youngest in a family, because it was the job of the youngest child to empty the chamber pot.
I hope by next year we will be able to have a guided tour of Boston's Freedom Trail as well as visit the various homes of John Adams at the Adams National Historic Park. I, however, am grateful there were a few sites open and we did have a wonderful day in Boston.
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