Green Dragon Tavern
Coined by Daniel Webster as the “Headquarters of the Revolution”, the original Green Dragon Tavern served as the general meeting place and think tank for events that would eventually shape our great nation to this day. Over two centuries ago, Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, Paul Revere and other notable Founding Fathers met in secret at Green Dragon Tavern to discuss the events of their day and organize calls to action. Used as both a tavern and meeting space, the Sons of Liberty, Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Boston Caucus met to assess and respond to issues faced by a growing nation and its people under tyrannical rule.
These meetings led the Sons of Liberty to host one of the most famous tea parties in history on December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party! These secret meetings also led to the departure of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, from the Tavern, on his famous midnight ride to Lexington and Concorde to warn Patriots that the “British are coming” to commandeer their weapons and capture John Hancock, Sam Adams and other militia leaders. Revere also initiated the preplanned warning system of lighting lamps, “One if by land, two if by sea.”
Green Dragon Tavern was acquired by the St. Andrews Lodge of Freemasons from a private owner around 1766. Once located on Union Street in Boston’s North End, the original Green Dragon Tavern was demolished in 1854. Little is actually know of the Tavern’s interior facade. Tavern’s of that time were often dimly lit with a central fireplace, low ceilings and steep staircases with narrow steps. It is believed that Green Dragon Tavern was named after the copper dragon that adorned its main entry, which as copper does so over time when exposed to the elements, turned patina green in color.
