Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
In 1773, Benjamin Simpson was a 19-year-old mason’s apprentice in Boston. In December of that year, he participated in the Boston Tea Party. George Folsom published Simpson’s account of the events in his 1830 History of Saco and Biddeford in 1830. Between 1775 and 1777, Simpson enlisted several times for short periods, serving in coastal Maine, New York, and Rhode Island. In 1778, he enlisted once again, this time for nine months. Simpson departed York in May bound for Valley Forge, in charge of driving wagons filled with clothing and other supplies for the army. Upon arrival, he was inoculated for smallpox, but he apparently contracted the disease anyway. Simpson remained with the baggage train until after the Battle of Monmouth, when he was so ill that the doctors despaired of his life. He eventually recovered enough to rejoin the army in New York and served out the remainder of his enlistment, which ended in March 1779.
After the war, Benjamin Simpson moved to North Saco near the Buxton line. He continued his trade as a mason and was also a prosperous farmer. In the early 19th century, Simpson served as a tax collector and surveyor of the highways for many years. Caleb Jordan donated these items owned by Simpson to the York Institute (now Saco Museum) in 1873. At the same time, he gave a banner that had been presented to Simpson during a parade that read: “Benj Simpson, the last survivor of the Boston Tea Party, Dec. 15, 1773.” Unfortunately, the banner no longer survives.
