Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Muc Lien’s 18 Gates of Hell.
Muc Lien's 18 Gates of Hell
Lighthouse and Museum of Jára Cimrman (Maják a muzeum Járy Cimrmana).
Lighthouse of Jára Cimrman
Markers honor 865 war dead.
Sovjet Ereveld (Soviet Field of Honor)
The intaglio leaves a subtle impression on the land along Riverside Drive in Fort Atkinson.
Panther Intaglio
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?
USDA and Washington State agriculture officials tagged this Asian giant hornet. Sept. 10, 2021.
What Ever Happened to the Murder Hornets?
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Massachusetts Boston Boston Tea Kettle

Boston Tea Kettle

This massive tea kettle was once a promotional stunt for the Oriental Teashop.

Boston, Massachusetts

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  http://blog.immersionproject.com/wp-conten...
Boston Tea Kettle   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Helen Rose / Atlas Obscura User
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/monas_fave/71...
The huge tea kettle often smokes with the “boiling” tea inside   http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanburke2012...
February 2023   MarilynR / Atlas Obscura User
original location @ Oriental Tea Company   www.pinterest.com
  shubell29 / Atlas Obscura User
Boston Tea Kettle   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
The Steaming Kettle Sign   gobruen / Atlas Obscura User
The original Coppersmith that created the kettle, E Badger also created the Grasshopper Weathervane over Faneuil Hall.   dbashep / Atlas Obscura User
The tea kettle at E Badger and Sons Cambridge, MA   dbashep / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Where can you fit eight boys and one full grown man? In the world’s largest tea kettle, of course.

In 1875, the Oriental Teashop held a contest to brew up attention for their company, asking the public to guess the capacity of the massive kettle that was cast in 1873 and hung outside their storefront.

The correct answer was over 227 gallons—that’s a lot of tea, even for the town made famous for its “tea party.” The boys and man also crawled out of the kettle to entertain the masses gathered for the event.

The giant ornament now hangs above Starbucks, a mildly appropriate memorial site just a short distance from where it used to hang.

Before this location was a Starbucks, it was a small cafe appropriately called "The Steaming Kettle." If visitors carefully look at the outside wall of the building they find an old sign for the Steaming Kettle still hanging there.

Related Tags

Unique Restaurants & Bars Tea Statues

Know Before You Go

Hanging above the Starbucks on Court Street- The tea kettle was damaged by a truck and has been removed for repairs. After several delays the tea kettle has been returned to it's place of honor.

Community Contributors

Edited By

Jan Dumas, gobruen, brianhagan, Jaszmina Szendrey...

  • Jan Dumas
  • gobruen
  • brianhagan
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • minac
  • dbashep
  • vrobbins
  • MarilynR
  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • blimpcaptain
  • Helen Rose
  • shubell29

Published

August 23, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Boston Tea Kettle
63 Court St
Boston, Massachusetts, 02109
United States
42.359296, -71.059236
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Democratic Donkey and Republican Footprints

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

King's Chapel Crypt

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Birthplace of the Telephone

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 34

Nearby Places

Democratic Donkey and Republican Footprints

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

King's Chapel Crypt

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Birthplace of the Telephone

Boston, Massachusetts

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Boston

Boston

Massachusetts

Places 127
Stories 34

Related Places

  • Lake Louise, Alberta

    Lake Agnes Teahouse

    Take a hike to this remote, scenic tea stop in the Canadian Rockies.

  • The Gamble room.

    London, England

    Victoria & Albert Museum Dining Rooms

    Revel in the Victorian splendor of the world's oldest eating establishment inside a museum.

  • Salinas, California

    The Steinbeck House Restaurant

    Eat a tasty meal in the house where John Steinbeck was born.

  • Riverside, California

    Tio's Tacos

    Mexican food and folk art.

  • The sitting room.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Bellocq Tea

    A charming "tea atelier" hidden away in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

  • Berlin, Germany

    Tajikistan Tearoom

    A slice of central Asia in the middle of Berlin.

  • Statues of Qin Hui and Lady Wang.

    Hangzhou, China

    Qin Hui Statue at Yue Fei Temple

    Visitors take revenge upon the statue of a traitor made to kneel at the tomb of his enemy.

  • York, England

    Tobacconist Napoleon Statue

    A rare tobacconist Napoleon statue stands inside York’s medieval guildhall.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.