File:State Street - a brief account of a Boston way (1906) (14783522265).jpg

Identifier: statestreetbrief00stat_0 (find matches)
Title: State Street : a brief account of a Boston way
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: State Street Trust Company (Boston, Mass.)
Subjects: Streets
Publisher: Boston, Mass. : Printed for the State Street Trust Company
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Public Library

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d far between.At the Royal Exchange in 1748 occurred analtercation between Phillips and Woodbridge thatresulted in a duel on the Common and in the deathof Woodbridge. This old tavern was still stand-ing in 1801, and was then kept by Israel Harris. ADMIRAL VERNON AND THESEAMANS GROG. THE Admiral Vernon Tavern, which tookits name from the famous English seadog whose name was subsequently givento Mount Vernon by Lawrence Washington whohad served on his staff, stood on the easterlycorner of State Street and Merchants Row. Overit was the wooden figure of the English admiral,sextant in hand, in the uniform of his rank,—quite appropriate as a sign for a tavern, when welearn that from the hero of Porto Bello comes theterm grog, which sea-faring men have given tostrong drink. It was Admiral Vernons custom instormy weather to appear on deck clad in a coarsegrogram. From this he was dubbed by his sailorsOld Grog, and soon grog was the term theygave to the rum and water he occasionally dealt 15
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STATE STREET out to his men. Shem Drowne, who carved thefigure over the tavern, was noted in his day forthe ships figure-heads he turned out, and his workon the hero of Porto Bello was watched with in-terest by the artist Copley. Another tavern that could have been found onState Street in 1787 was Cummings Tavern. TheBunch of Grapes, a famous resort, kept by JamesKendall, in 1801 was on the north-east corner ofState and Kilby Streets. Where No. 66 State Street was in 1870, then thesite of the Massachusetts Bank, the British CoffeeHouse offered its cheer. Here James Otis, ofStamp Act fame, was mortally assaulted by one ofthe Excise Commissioners in 1769. Poor Otis, hewho might have been the flame of fire duringthe Revolutionary days that he was during the ex-citement of the Stamp Act, became deranged fromthe blow, and, though he took part in the battle ofBunker Hill, he retired to Andover, Mass., wherein 1783 he was killed by a stroke of lightning. The Exchange Coffee House, corner of

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