Signs on Tudor Wharf
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 22.194 W 071° 03.592
19T E 330394 N 4692902
Three signs talk about the Ice Industry, Commerce and Immigration around Tudor Wharf, which is next to the bridge between Charlestown and the North End.
Waymark Code: WMH4Q
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2006
Views: 33
There are three signs. I have photos and transcriptions for two of them. Someone else can do the third.
Sign 1:
Caption: "Ice cutting at Fresh Pond, Cambridge, 1855. Courtesy, Cambridge Historical Commission."
Text: "Ice King"
"Tudor Wharf is named for Frederic Tudor (1783-1864), the legendary "Ice King," who in 1806 originated the trade of ice to the tropics and developed the market for iced drinks in southern climates. Tudor brought blocks of ice from ponds in the Greater Boston area, including Walden Pond in Concord and Fresh Pond in Cambridge, and shipped them to exotic ports such as Rio de Janeiro, Havana, and Bombay, India. When Tudor started his business in 1806, he shipped only 130 tons of ice annually. Tudor eventually developed new techniques for the packing and insulation of "crystal blocks of Yankee coldness", which allowed him to ship ice to more remote destinations. By 1856, he was shipping 146,000 tons annually. Tudor made a fortune selling ice and used his wealth to build one of the earliest railroads, which ended at Tudor Wharf."
Sign #2: Immigration
[Need transcription]
Sign #3: "Charlestown's Waterfront"
"Wharves, warehouses, and shipyards lined the Charlestown waterfront as seen in this 1844 view from Copp's Hill across the Charles River in the North End. Tudor Wharf is at the far left next to the Charles River Bridge, and an unfinished Bunker Hill Monument rises in the background. Ice and lumber were the most important cargoes in Charlestown, but ships also carried sugar, fur, granite, coal, hay, cattle, lime, bricks, and hops. In addition to commercial activities, the Charlestown waterfront offered some recreational opportunities. John Tyler "had a bathing establishment on his wharf, where both ladies and gentlemen could be provided with convenient and well protected bath houses for a swim on a hot summer day."
Agency Responsible for Placement: Unknown
County: Suffolk
City/Town Name: Boston
Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Not listed
Year Placed: Not listed
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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