John Hancock's "Trunk of Treason" on Display at Museum of Worcester Patriot's Week Only

This historic artifact was recently conserved and is on display for one week only. Learn the significance of the trunk with so many essential, and incriminating documents inside, and its role in American’s Revolution. As Hancock’s trunk was being taken to safety, he had already fled along with his compatriot Samuel Adams, his widowed Aunt Lydia, and fiancée Dolly Quincy. With the Second Continental Congress soon to convene in Philadelphia, the party traveled to Worcester where he expected to meet up with other delegates. The destination made sense: Hancock owned a home here and he was on the established travel route to Philadelphia. Hancock had inherited substantial Worcester property from his uncle, Thomas Hancock (1703-1764), who also raised him. The Hancock house stood on Lincoln Street near the residence of Tory Timothy Paine, today the headquarters of the Worcester DAR Chapter. Hancock stayed in Worcester until April 27th, likely reuniting with his trunk. He and his traveling companions arrived in Philadelphia in early May, just in time for the Congress to convene—and elect him its president. In 1846, the Hancock house was relocated to Grove Street, near the current location of the Courtyard by Marriott hotel. Although torn down around the turn of the 20th century, the front door of the c. 1740 “Henchman-Hancock-Lincoln” house is preserved at the Smithsonian Institution. This public program is free, supported in part by grants to the Museum of Worcester from the Schwarz Charitable Foundation and Mass Cultural Council.

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Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2999015-0

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