Bunch-of-Grapes

The Bunch-of-Grapes was a tavern located on King Street (State Street) in Boston, Massachusetts, in the 17th and 18th centuries. Typical of taverns of the time, it served multiple functions in the life of the town. One could buy drinks, concert tickets, slaves; meet friends, business associates, political co-conspirators. Located in the center of town activity, the facade of the Bunch-of-Grapes building featured iconic signage: "Three gilded clusters of grapes dangled temptingly over the door before the eye of the passer-by."

Notable events occurred on tavern premises. "On Monday, July 30, 1733, the first grand lodge of Masons in America was organized here by Henry Price, a Boston tailor, who had received authority from Lord Montague, Grand Master of England, for the purpose." In 1769, the tavern offered tickets for sale for "Love in a Village," the first professional opera performance in Boston. Artist Christian Remick (b.1726) displayed his paintings in the tavern in 1769.

A darker chapter in the tavern's history involved slavery. For potential buyers, a "search for slave labor in Boston began and ended along the bustling King Street corridor that connected the warehouses of Long Wharf to the commercial center of town. Three of Boston's busiest public houses -- the Royal Exchange, the Crown Coffee-House, and the Bunch of Grapes tavern- lined that half-mile stretch. All offered fine drink and lively conversation, and at times all served as clearinghouses for slaves."

In the revolutionary era, "the Bunch of Grapes became the resort of the High Whigs, who made it a sort of political headquarters, in which patriotism only passed current, and it was known as the Whig tavern."Paul Revere and others gathered here.

However, during the British occupation of Boston, British troops met at the tavern. In January 1776, James Henry Craig, company commander of the 47th (Lancashire) Regiment of Foot, arranged a meeting at the tavern: "The ancient and most benevolent of the Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick. The Principal Knot of the 47th Regiment is to meet at the Bunch of Grapes on Thursday the 29th inst. at eleven o'clock in the forenoon. . . . All the Friendly Brothers in the army are requested to meet at the same place at one o'clock, on business relating to the order in general. J.H. Craig, S.P.K. 47th Reg."

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