October 19, 1774 -- Tea Party Express, Annapolis, Maryland

On this day in mob history:

The Burning of the Peggy Stewart

The Peggy Stewart was a Maryland cargo vessel burned on October 19, 1774, in Annapolis as a punishment for contravening the boycott on tea imports which had been imposed in retaliation for the British treatment of the people of Boston following the Boston Tea Party. This event became known as the "Annapolis Tea Party".



Legacy of the burning 1774 - 2010

After the American Revolutionary War, citizens of Maryland came to view the burning of the Peggy Stewart as an act of heroism, considering the angry crowd who demanded the burning to be devoted patriots for their resistance of the British Tea Act.

1904:
On October 19, 1904, the city of Baltimore commemorated the event with The Burning of the Peggy Stewart, a mural by Charles Yardley Turner (1850-1919), painted on the west wall of the Criminal Court Lobby in the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse.

The incident is also honored by "Peggy Stewart Tea", a blend sold by Eastern Shore Tea Co. [We could not find Peggy Stewart Tea on the Eastern Shore website....we did, however, find Liberty Tea: A full bodied herbal blend of native American plants & herbs at the disposal of the colonial settlers, forsaking the pleasures of China teas for the principles of liberty.]

The burning is honored each year by a ceremony in Annapolis.

1956:

The story was recounted in a children's book Ahoy, Peggy Stewart by Maud Esther Dilliard, published by Dutton, 1956. (Not available on Kindle.)

1974:

On October 19, 1974, the Bicentennial Council of the 13 Original States created a silver ingot honoring the two-hundredth anniversary of the burning.

2010:

Our Patriot Mrs. Todd Palin spoke at the October 18, 2010 Tea Party Express rally in Reno Nevada -- the full speech is seen here at Texas for Sarah Palin. (Photo courtesy of On the Edge. Go there to see more of her good pics of Sarah Palin in Reno.)

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Painting by Francis Blackwell Mayer, 1896, depicting the burning of the Peggy Stewart.