IDENTIFIED BOSTON TOWN CRIER/WATCHMEN’S ALARM, CA. 1820

$1,500.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 344-675

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Wooden alarm rattle with handle measuring 5.5”, rattle 10.25” in length, 5” in width. Rattle is in good, original condition, with replaced sounding board & cog. Affixed to the tip is a yellowed, but legible note, which reads: “Watchman’s rattle once owned by James Wilson. Watchman and for a long time City crier of Boston. Supposed to be fifty years old or in use in 1820.”

James Wilson was the last town crier of Boston, and keeper of the Bell in Hand Tavern, est. 1795, which remains in operations as the oldest, continuously running tavern in the United States. Wilson was a well-known Bostonian, a town fixture for fifty years, who may well have “cried’ the announcement of the Boston Tea Party, Declaration of Independence, and signing of the US Constitution. In all, a fascinating Boston collectible. Accompanied by documentation. Invites further research.

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