tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post8931982094663534119..comments2024-03-28T04:26:30.557-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: Daigler Speaks on Intelligence at Minute Man Park, 15 Oct. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-88560726148899601352014-10-18T10:48:06.976-05:002014-10-18T10:48:06.976-05:00Yes, the St. Andrew's Lodge bought the Green D...Yes, the St. Andrew's Lodge bought the Green Dragon Tavern in the late 1760s. It remained a public house, sometimes advertised under the name "The Masons' Arms," as well as being those Freemasons' meeting-place. And there is overlap between that lodge and men heavily involved in pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary political activity, like Revere. Some lodge meetings in late 1773 were canceled because of low turnout, evidently because so many men were at the tea meetings. <br /><br />The jump to myth comes in the Wiki claims about the way the tavern's rooms were used, the groups that met there, and Revere starting his ride from there. The same letter I quoted above, which shows that Revere and his comrades met at the Green Dragon until November 1774, also describes how he started his ride, and the tavern had nothing to do with it. <br /><br />The replica Green Dragon Tavern in Carlsbad, California, surprised me in the restraint of its statements about the historical importance of the original. The proprietor obviously does view the building as significant in the Revolution and the development of the country, but the displays and signs are carefully sourced. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-22807170259143504282014-10-18T09:42:48.067-05:002014-10-18T09:42:48.067-05:00My point was the secrecy oath you mentioned from R...My point was the secrecy oath you mentioned from Revere's letter, "We were so carefull that our meetings should be kept Secret; that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible, that they would not discover any of our transactions...," is very similar to a well-known Masonic ritual conducted often. There was most likely some considerable overlap between membership of some of these groups and members of the Craft. <br /><br />Regarding wiki, yes, I was wondering about the its assertions that the "Sons of Liberty, Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Boston Caucus each met there [Green Dragon Tavern]." <br /><br />I remember your post a while back on the Green Dragon Tavern when you visited the museum site in California; question for you John --- does the proprietor of the museum assert what wiki does about these groups meeting there? and, Did the Lodge of St. Andrew own the Green Dragon Tavern? I don't doubt that you would know the answers to these questions more than just about anyone. Thanks! Byron DeLearnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-8576271958032128302014-10-17T10:10:08.584-05:002014-10-17T10:10:08.584-05:00Freemasonry is a great source of myths, and Wikipe...Freemasonry is a great source of myths, and Wikipedia a great conduit for them. Some of those quoted statements about the Green Dragon Tavern are clearly false, and others seem dubious considering how little information survives about it. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-4258874371097674132014-10-17T09:55:05.550-05:002014-10-17T09:55:05.550-05:00Very interesting story! It should be remembered th...Very interesting story! It should be remembered that the Lodge of St. Andrews owned the Green Dragon Tavern, and that very serious oaths of secrecy mentioned by Revere are conducted at every single opening and closing of Lodge in masonic ritual, so these men must have been accustomed to the practice. From wiki, "The Freemasons used the first floor for their meeting rooms. The basement tavern was used by several secret groups and became known by historians as the "Headquarters of the Revolution". The Sons of Liberty, Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Boston Caucus each met there. The Boston Tea Party was planned there and Paul Revere was sent from there to Lexington on his famous ride."Byron DeLearnoreply@blogger.com