GreenDragon
THE GREEN DRAGON TAVERN
From New England Freemason, Vol. I, No. 4, April 1874, p. 153:
During the closing days of the month of March last, a hearing was had before referees, to determine the amount to be paid by the city of Boston for that portion of the Green Dragon Tavern estate taken for the extension of Washington Street. The proposed cutting divides the estate in the middle, and great interest has been taken in the hearing, on account of the different opinions as to the question of damages and the historical associations connected with the spot. The estate has been in the possession of St. Andrew's Lodge, of Boston, just one hundred and ten years, having been conveyed to Moses Deshon and others, a committee of the Lodge, by Catherine Kerr, widow, by deed dated March 31st, 1764, in consideration of the sum of £466 13s. 4d. In October, 1828, it being deemed advisable to widen Green Dragon Lane, the old building was taken down by order of the city authorities, and a considerable part of its site taken for the proposed widening. Upon the remaining land the Lodge proceeded to erect a large warehouse, covering the whole estate, which was, for many years, occupied as a carriage depository and auction mart. In its turn, this structure has yielded to the necessities of travel and the march of improvement, and again the city fathers have carved a big slice from this very valuable property; this time from its very heart.
A special meeting of St. Andrew's Lodge was held on the spot, on the evening of March 31st, 1864, for the purpose of celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the purchase of the estate. Most interesting details of the associations connected with this "locality dear to every Masonic heart, to every patriot's breast," were furnished by Brothers Charles W. Moore and Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, both members of the Lodge. We have never seen these reminiscences in print except in the elegant "Centennial Memorial," published in 1870. Only five hundred copies of that work were printed, and one can hardly be had now for love or money. As most of our readers have probably never seen it, we have culled from it the most interesting facts in regard to the famous old hostelry, and present them to our readers very nearly in the language of the Brethren just named.
The old tavern stood on the westerly side of Green Dragon Lane, afterwards the northerly portion of Union Street, leading from Hanover Street to the Old Mill Pond, now filled up. It was built of brick, and in its latter days was painted of a dingy color. In front it showed only two stories and an attic; but in the rear, from the slope of the land and the peculiar shape of the roof, three stories with a basement were seen. It covered a piece of land fifty feet in front and thirty-four in depth, and had connected with it a large stable and other out-buildings. In recent times the lower story was used as the common rooms of a tavern, while in the second, on the street front, was a large hall used for public as well as Masonic purposes. The attic story afforded ample accommodations for sleeping apartments. The chimneys were substantially built in the side walls, and were of the style usually found in houses built at the close of the seventeenth century. The attic windows on the front part of the roof, and the walk railed in on the upper part, added much to the appearance and comfort of the building, which, in its best days, must have been commodious and comfortably arranged.
The whole estate comprised a large lot of land, the main portion being situated back of Green Dragon Lane, with other estates in front, and extending northerly to the Old Mill Pond. The extensive yard was much used by the boys, who dwelt in the neighborhood, as a playground; and here it was, undoubtedly, that the youthful Franklin essayed his mechanical feat of building a stone wharf, alluded to in his autobiography.
In front of the building there projected from the wall an iron crane, upon which was crouched a Green Dragon. This peculiar mark of designation was very ancient, perhaps as old as the building itself. It was formed of thick sheet copper, and had a curled tail. From its mouth projected a fearful looking tongue, the wonder of the younger portion of the community. When the building was taken down, this curious relic of the handiwork of the ancient mechanics of the town disappeared, and has never since been found, although sought for most diligently. In 1855, the Lodge caused to be inserted in the front wall, near Hanover Street, of the brick building then recently erected on the old site, a representation skilfully carved in sandstone, of the old weather-beaten dragon which had, for nearly a century and a half, withstood the 6torms and tempests of the hard New England seasons, and outlived the violence of political mobs, and the rudeness of hostile soldiery in time of war.
The old mansion-house mus.t have been erected not far from the year 1680. In 1695, and perhaps earlier, it was used as an inn. No authentic picture of its appearance has been preserved. But Brother Shurtleff, from his own personal recollections, made a drawing and model of this old landmark, which was approved by many persons who had known and remembered well the original. From this model a picture was engraved for the Lodge.
With, perhaps, the single exception of Faneuil Hall, there was no public building in Boston, at the close of the last century, which had acquired a more extensive notoriety, or filled a larger place in the local history of the town, than the old Green Dragon Tavern. It was here that many of the most important and eventful of the political transactions preceding the Revolution were, if not positively inaugurated, discussed, matured and put in execution. That this was so, is undoubtedly to be accounted for, in some measure, by the fact, that the Hall in the building was the only room in the northern section of the town, excepting Deblois' Hall on the corner of Queen and Hanover Streets, which was adapted to popular assemblies; and by the additional, and, perhaps, more significant fact, that the principal leaders of the Revolution in Boston, were members of the Masonic Fraternity, and many of them of the Lodge which held its Communications there, — a circumstance which would very naturally influence them in the selection of the place for their private consultations. It is not, however, to be inferred from this, that they either met as Masons, or used Masonry as a cover to their purposes ; for others than Masons were associated with them.
One of the largest and, perhaps, one of the most efficient of the political clubs which spraug into existence during the troublous times of 1768, and onward, was that known as "The North-End Caucus." This body was composed, almost exclusively, of North-End mechanics — distinguished for their daring and activity—-and held its meetings in the Hall of the Green Dragon Tavern. Warren, who Frothinghani says "was idolized by the North-Enders," was an influential member of it, as were Paul Revere and others of his personal friends.
The Hall was also used as a central and safe place for the meetings of private committees and rallying clubs, with which Warren, as Chairman of the "Committee of Safety," was in frequent consultation, directing their movements.
The character and services of these important Clubs are well illustrated by our Brother Paul Revere, in liis narrative of the events of 1775, when he says, about thirty persons, chiefly North-End mechanics, had agreed to watch the movements of the British soldiers and the Tories, in anticipation of their descent on Concord. These patriots met at the Green Dragon Tavern. "We were so careful that our meetings should be kept secret, that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible, that he would not discover any of our transactions but to Hancock, Adams, Drs. Warren, Church, and one or two more." They took turns to watch the soldiers, two by two, by patrolling the streets all night.
Another of these Clubs which held their meetings at the Green Dragon Tavern, was the "Caucus—Pro Bono Publico," of which Warren was the leading spirit, and in which, says Elliott, " the plans of the Sons of Liberty were matured."
It is to be regretted that no authentic record of the names of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, has come down to us. "But," says Frothingham, "as Warren was presented to the Privy Council as one of the prominent actors in these proceedings, and was held up by his political opponents at home, as one of the Mohawks," and as "he was not one to shrink from any post of duty, it is not more improbable that he was one of the band who threw the tea overboard, than that his friend, John Hancock (Captain of the Cadets), should have been one of the guard to protect the actors."
The tradition of the Lodge is, that all the preliminary measures in this affair were matured at the Green Dragon, and that the execution of them was committed mainly to the members of the North-End Caucus — that stalwart and fearless band of North-End mechanics, whose guiding genius was Warren — having the co-operation of the more daring of the "Sons of Liberty." That Warren was present as a leader in the affair, does not admit of any serious doubt; nor is there any question that his personal friends, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Joseph Webb, Paul Revere, Thomas Melville, Adam Coilson, Henry Purkett, (who used modestly to say he was present only as a spectator, and in disobedience to the orders of his Master, who was actively present,) and other patriots of the day were cognizant of it, and some of them, at least, are known to have participated in its final consummation. It was the first act in the great drama the conclusion of which was the independence of the country.
The "Master" referred to above, with whom our late Brother Purkett served his apprenticeship, was Samuel Peck, a cooper by trade, and one of the leading members of the "North-End Caucus." He was also an active member of St. Andrew's Lodge, — a connection which strengthens the tradition of the Lodge, that the table for the famous Tea Party was first spread in its "Long Room." Among the members of the Lodge who are known to have taken an active part in the affair, were Adam Collson, Thomas Chase, Samuel Gore, Daniel Ingollson, Samuel Peck, Edward Proctor, Henry Purkett and Thomas Urann.
Brother Moore says that he has looked in vain for a copy of an old revolutionary song, said to have been written and sung as a "rallying song," by the "tea party" at the Green Dragon. The following fragment, though probably not in all respects an exact transcript of the original, he thinks will indicate its general character :
Rally, Mohawks! — bring out your axes!
And tell King George we'll pay no taxes
On his foreign tea!
His threats are vain — and vain to think
To force our girls and wives to drink
His vile Bohea!
Then rally boys, and hasten on,
To meet our Chiefs at the Green Dragon.
Our Warren's there, and bold Revere,
With hands to do, and words to cheer,
For Liberty and Laws!
Our country's " Braves," and firm defenders,
Shall ne'er be left by true North-Enders,
Fighting Freedom's cause!
Then rally boys, and hasten on,
To meet our Chiefs at the Green Dragon.
In January, 1788, a meeting of the mechanics and artisans of Boston was held at the Green Dragon Tavern, and a series of resolutions was passed, urging the importance of adopting the Federal Constitution, then pending before a Convention of delegates from the different parts of the State. The Hon. Daniel Webster, in a speech delivered at Andover, in the autumn of 1843, referring to this meeting and these resolutions, says : "There was a particular set of resolutions, founded on this very idea of favoring home productions, full of energy and decision, passed by the mechanics of Boston. And where did the mechanics of Boston meet to pass them? Full of the influence of these feelings, they congregated at the Headquarters of the Revolution. I see, waving among the banners before me, that of the old Green Dragon. It was there, in Union Street, that John Gray, Paul Revere," — both members of the Lodge,— "and others of their class, met for consultation. There, with earnestness and enthusiasm, they passed their resolutions. A committee carried them to the Boston delegation in the Convention," then in session. Paul Revere, who, Mr.Webster, in a previous address, says, was "a man of sense and character, and of high public spirit, whom the mechanics of Boston ought never to forget," was chairman of this committee. He placed the resolutions in the hands of Samuel Adams. "How many mechanics," said Mr. Adams, "were at the Green Dragon when these resolutions were passed? " "More, sir," was the reply, "than the Green Dragon could hold." "And where were the rest, Mr. Revere?" "In the streets, sir." "And how many were in the streets?" "More, sir, than there are stars in the sky."
The Hon. Edward Everett, in an address on the battle of Lexington, delivered at Lexington, on the 19th of April, 1835, speaking of the patriot, Samuel Adams, says:
"He was among the earliest and ablest writers on the patriot side. He caught the plain, downright style of the Commonwealth in Great Britain. More than most of his associates, he understood the efficacy of personal intercourse with the people. It was Samuel Adams, more than any other individual, who brought the question home to their bosoms and firesides, not by profound disquisitions and elaborate reports — though these in their place were not spared — but in the caucuses, the club-rooms, at the Green Dragon, in the ship-yards, in actual conference, man to man and heart to heart."
The Old South Church was, in these stirring times, called by the patriots the Sanctuary of Freedom; while, on the other hand, the Green Dragon Tavern was denounced by the Tories as a Nest of Traitors! The distinction in these appellations is more obvious than the difference. The enemies of the tyrannical and oppressive measures of the government were all either patriots or traitors, according to the standard by which they were tried.
Sufficient evidence has thus been presented to indicate the public purposes for which the Hall, through a long and interesting series of years, was principally occupied,—enough to show that if Faneuil Hall was the "Cradle of Liberty," many of the children rocked in it were born at the Green Dragon!
It may be safely assumed that, from the year 1767, when the Townshend Revenue Acts were passed, imposing a tax on tea, creating a Board of Customs, and legalizing Writs of Assistance, to the close of the War of Independence, there was not another public house in the whole country, and assuredly not in Massachusetts, where so much of the "secret history" of the Revolutionary period was made, as at the old Green Dragon Tavern; and it is to be deeply regretted that the subject was not attended to when that history could have been intelligently and reliably written. It is now too late. The patriotic men who alone could have furnished the material have passed away, — and they Imve taken their "secret" with them.
When Mr. Webster, who was, perhaps, better read in the early history and events of the Revolutionary period than any other public man of his time, described the Green Dragon Tavern as the Headquarters of the Revolution, he wrote the title-page, and opened a volume, which, if written as he alone could have written it, would have been an addition to the early political annals of the Commonwealth, of surpassing interest and importance.
Notwithstanding the frequent and exciting demands of political and patriotic duty, the Brethren of that day found time for the discharge of the quiet and peaceful duties of the Lodge, and place under the same roof. On the 31st of March, 1764, the estate was conveyed to the committee, and on the 13th of April following, the Lodge held, for the first time, a monthly meeting in the hall. On the 14th of June it was formally named the "Freemasons' Arms," and a large Square and Compass was placed on the front of the building. The new title was, however, soon dropped, and the building became known as "Masons' Hall," until the removal of the Lodge, when it resumed its ancient title of "Green Dragon Tavern."
On the 24th of June, 1772, the festival of St. John the Baptist was celebrated by the Massachusetts Grand Lodge, by a public procession formed at Concert Hall. The Grand Officers and Brethren, "all cloth'd in their respective Jewells, and with their several badges of office, marched in procession to Christ's Church, where a very suitable and pertinent discourse was preached by the Rev. Brother Samuel Fayerweather, of Narragansett, from 1st Corinths. 5 ch. 11 v.," after which they returned to Masons' Hall, and "the Gd. Master and Brethren din'd together in the Garden, under a large Tent erected for that purpose, and the remainder of the Day was dedicated to Mirth and Social festivity." The company numbered ninety-seven, which, at that day, was a very large attendance. The Brethren, in those early days of the Institution in the colonies, were more regular in the observance of the festivals of the Saints John, than their successors have been. The last with which Gen. Warren's name is connected took place on the 27th of December, 1773, at Masons' Hall. The Commission appointing him Grand Master of Masons for the Continent of America, was read. "The Brethren then Proceeded, in Ample Form, to Install The Most Worshipfull Grand Master." "The Tables being Furnished, The Brethren (with the Guests) Enjoyed themselves Agreeable to the Festivity of the day." "The thanks of the Brethren was made to Rev'd. Docr. Mather, also to The Honbie. William Brattle, Esqr, for their Compy. Then the Revd. Docr. Mather withdrew.
"The Most Worshipfull Grand Master was Pleased to direct Three Brethren, viz.: Jona. Williams, Elisa. Thacher and H. Hatch, to wait upon The Most Worshipfull John Rowe, Esqr., Gd. Master, the Grand Officers and Brethren at Their Feast, at Colo. Ingersolls, to Acquaint them their Healths would be drank half after 4 o'clock. The Commttee Returned for Answer, that Grand Master [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=GMRowe Rowe and the Brethr. convened, would return the Compliment at that Period." The "Reckoning" was as follows:
50 Dinners, 3s. ... £7 10s.
13 dble Bowls Punch, ... 1 14s 8d.
12 Bottles Port, 3s. ... 1 16s.
17 Bottles Madeira, 4s. ... 8s.
Adverg. ... 8s.
£14 16s. 8d.
Collected,
40 Tickets, 6s. ... £12
After Colection, . 2 16s.
£14 16s.
Punch was a favorite beverage in those days, and very large "double Punch Bowles" were a fashionable, if not a necessary, appurtenance to the dinner table on all public occasions; nor were they dispensed with until a much later date.
Brother Moore gives an amusing description of the appearance of one of the old-school North-End mechanics, the Closet Steward of the Lodge, while in the discharge of what the Brethren then, doubtless, held to be one of the most important of his official functions. He was a large, portly man, and, without exaggeration, might exclaim with Falstaff:
" I am, in the waist, two yards about."
He was
"fat,
Sleek-headed, and such as sleep o' nights."
"In fair, round belly, with good capon lined."
But withal a most excellent, amiable and faithful Brother.
The Lodge having reached a convenient resting place in its "work," the Brethren were called from labor to refreshment, — and refreshment, in those days, was what the word in its common acceptation implies. At this interesting period of the proceedings the Closet Steward never failed promptly to present himself at the door, in his best "bib and tucker," bearing a huge Punch Bowl, one-half resting on his correspondingly huge abdominal protuberance, the other supported by his brawny arms. Thus prepared for the encounter — the Brethren being seated "in order," with their glasses in hand — he, with dignified solemnity, and fully impressed with the magnitude of the business before him, slowly commenced his tour of duty, paying his respects first to the Master in the "East," and then passing regularly around the hall, until the members were all supplied, or in the technical language of the day, all charged, and waiting the order of the Master. He then slowly retired, with the benedictions of his Brethren, and a consciousness of having faithfully performed his share in the "work" of the evening !
Thus did the Craft enjoy themselves
" In good old Colony times,
When we lived under the King."
Boston 1775 article
