42 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. 



authority, 1 that the chocolate-mill erected 

 on Neponset river, in the town of Dor- 

 chester, Mass, in 1765^ was the first mill 

 of that kind established in the British prov- 

 inces of North America. It was connected 

 with a saw-mill, operated by water-power, 

 and was regarded as a somewhat doubtful 

 experiment. Its establishment was due to 

 the representations made by John Hannan, 

 an Irish immigrant, who had learned the 

 business of chocolate-making in England. 

 The new industry prospered in a small 

 way, and on the death of Hannan, in 1780, 

 Dr. James Baker established the house 

 which has continued the business without 

 interruption from that day to this. 



In the early days the crude cocoa was 

 brought to the American market by the 

 Massachusetts traders, who received it in 

 exchange for the fish and other articles 

 which they shipped to the West Indies and 



1 History of the town of Dorchester, Mass., 1857. 



