William Burbeck

(July 22, 1716 – July 22, 1785) 

William Burbeck was a carver, a gentleman, and a member of the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts.

Burbeck carved the “Corinthian capitals” on the columns of King’s Chapel and the “Ionick Order” pilasters inside Faneuil Hall. A student of the sciences of gunnery and artillery, pyrotechnics, mathematics, architecture, and more, he prepared the fireworks display for Boston’s celebration of the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. John Hancock was so impressed by his pyrotechnical skill during those celebrations that he gave Burbeck a book on the subject to add to his extensive personal library. He also took part in the large-scale celebration at Liberty Tree Tavern in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on August 14, 1769, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the Stamp Act Riots in Boston.   

Burbeck was a devoted Mason, first with the First Lodge (later renamed St. John’s Lodge) in 1754 and then as a charter member of the Lodge of St. Andrew in 1756.  Over the years, he served as both Worshipful Master and Deputy Grand Master. After taking the charter of St. Andrew’s Lodge for safekeeping and refusing to return it, Burbeck earned a suspension in 1773. Other members felt the Charter should be destroyed because of its association with Scotland and, therefore, the British. Burbeck, both an ardent Patriot and a dedicated Mason, retained it, at one point keeping it under the guns of the fort in Boston Harbor. His suspension was lifted in 1776, with the stipulation that he lay the Charter on the table at each meeting. He finally relinquished the charter on his deathbed in 1785.  

His role in the purchase of the Green Dragon Tavern by St. Andrew’s Lodge was no less dramatic. In a complex series of transactions spanning several years and multiple committee members, St. Andrew’s Lodge voted to purchase the Green Dragon Tavern for its meeting place. Because the organization could not hold real estate, Burbeck advanced money for the purchase, thereby becoming the deed holder. This would have ramifications well into the middle of the next century, long after Burbeck’s death. 

William Burbeck died in Boston, Massachusetts, on his 69th birthday in 1785. He is buried in Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in Boston.