Where Was the Actual Boston Tea Party Site?
OR
Where Was Griffin's Wharf in Relation to Modern Boston Streets?

AT GRIFFIN'S WHARF WHEN INFILLED? NEAR LONG WHARF? NEAR SUMMER ST.?
NEAR TYLER & BEACH? 1769 & 1777 MAPS GRIFFIN'S W. 1800 GRIFFIN'S W. 1838
GRIFFIN'S W. 1855 WHERE THE BOSTON TEA PARTY HAPPENED AT E. MOAKLEY BR?
AT NORTHERN AVE. BR? WHAT HAPPENED AT HUBBARD'S WHARF? AT ATLANTIC & CONGRESS?
AT PURCHASE & CONGRESS? AT LIVERPOOL WHARF? "GRIFFIN'S AREA" 1879 "GRIFFIN'S AREA" 1891
"GRIFFIN'S AREA" 1899 "GRIFFIN'S AREA" 1903 "GRIFFIN'S AREA" 1927  
ENDNOTES WRITE ME & YOU SAID... LINKS

BTP: All Sites ALL THESE SITES, WITH ONE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION, ARE WRONG!

1 NEAR LONGWHARF?

2 NEAR OLD NORTHERN AVE. BR.?

3 ATLANTIC & NEW NORTHERN AVE?
4 NEAR EVELYN MOAKLEY BR?
  Bridge was not shown on map; sketched in.

5 AT LIVERPOOL WHARF?
  Near where I believe it happened.

6 AT CONGRESS & PURCHASE ST.?
7 AT CONGRESS & I=93?

8 AT SUMMER ST.?

9 BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIP & MUSEUM
  Not suggested as a possible site.

10 NEAR TYLER & BEACH?

Thanks to someone for overlaying this map on an aerial view of Boston

TOP

  • Two Revolutionary War era maps (Library of Congress) are fairly consistent with each other and place Griffin's Wharf in the immediate area where the BTP is reported to have occurred. Snippets of these follow, with comments:
1769
Griffin's Wharf per 1769 map of Boston (A new plan of ye great town of Boston in New England in America with the many additionall buildings & new streets, to the year, 1769) by William Price.
  • This map is somewhat consistent with the 1777 map in that Griffin's wharf is shown at the foot of Hutchinson St. (but slightly eastward),
  • Griffin's Wharf is shown as an extension of Gridley Street
  • Hubbard's Wharf is shown to the east of Griffin's.
  • We will see that this location for Griffin's Wharf is confirmed by the 1800 map.
1777?
Griffin's Wharf per 1777 map of Boston (A plan of the town of Boston with the intrenchments &ca. of His Majesty's forces in 1775, from the observations of Lieut. Page of His Majesty's Corps of Engineers, and from those of other gentlemen. ) by Sir Thomas Hyde Page.
  • This map is somewhat consistent with the 1769 map in that Griffin's wharf is shown at the foot of Hutchinson St. with the back of the wharf slightly westward. However, note that the end of Griffin's Wharf is shown as eastward from a line passing through Hutchinson St. since the wharf is shown slightly at an angle to the street.
  • Hubbard's Wharf shown as end of Oliver(s) St.
  • Griffin's Wharf is shown to the west of Hubbard's and slightly to the west of Hutchinson's Street (which will by 1838 be renamed Pearl Street).
  • This is the map found (with annotation) in Boston Tea Party, the Trigger of our Revolution.