The donation of a Revolutionary War-era tea caddy was treasure enough, but the artifact contained an even rarer hidden surprise. The tea caddy belonged to the Bayley family, and particularly to Dr. Richard Bayley, the father of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Beneath its ornately decorated exterior, the caddy was found to contain tea leaves, preserved through the centuries. Testing revealed the leaves were Bohea tea, the same variety tossed into chilly Massachusetts waters during the Boston Tea Party.