Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

For over 250 years, the Boston Tea Party has remained one of the most iconic and studied events in United States history. It would set off a chain reaction of events that lead to the American Revolutionary War and eventually the creation of the U.S. Yet despite this fame, most people are not aware of the details surrounding the event and the history involved—something that the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum brings to life and explains with clarity and depth.

Much of the museum staff are professional actors who wear period-correct clothing and speak with regional dialect authentic to the 18th century. Various locations that played a key role during the tea party have been painstakingly restored, including the old meeting house, Griffin’s Wharf, and the ships Eleanor and Beaver. Visitors can also reenact tossing mock boxes of tea into the harbor.

There are many unique artifacts on display within the museum, but the centerpiece is without a doubt the Robinson Tea Chest—the only known surviving chest of the many that were dumped overboard during the Boston Tea Party. It was discovered the morning after the event along the shoreline near Dorchester Heights by 15-year-old John Robinson. For over 230 years, it was passed down from family to family, making its way across the country and even being displayed at the Smithsonian during the bicentennial celebrations in 1976. In 2012, the box was returned to Boston to be displayed at the newly completed museum, where it made its mark on history over two centuries ago.