The surprising supply-chain story behind a Thanksgiving that didn’t happen on time.
When we think of Thanksgiving, we picture a holiday tied deeply to harvest traditions, colonial history, and the gratitude shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in the early 1600s. For generations, harvest festivals took place in late October or early November—always timed around the crops that sustained communities through harsh winters.
By the 1700s, New England settlers had settled into a familiar rhythm: Thanksgiving was celebrated during the first week of November, often on November 4. The menu was rustic, practical, and symbolic of abundance—foods like roasted meats, root vegetables, and the now-iconic pumpkin pie, a dessert borrowed and adapted from Native American traditions. Over time, pumpkin pie became so essential to the holiday that Thanksgiving without it was, quite literally, unthinkable.
But one year, in one small Connecticut town, Thanksgiving didn’t arrive on schedule. And the reason? A transportation delay.
The Molasses Problem No One Saw Coming
In 1705, the people of Colchester, Connecticut faced an unexpected crisis: the town had run out of molasses.
Molasses was more than a sweetener—it was a key ingredient in several cornerstone dishes of the region. It enriched the famous New England baked beans and gave pumpkin pie its distinctive flavor and texture. Without molasses, the town couldn’t prepare the foods that defined their Thanksgiving celebration.
Normally, shipments of molasses traveled up the Connecticut River, the region’s primary transportation artery for everyday goods. Barges and small cargo vessels delivered essentials to towns along its banks, including Colchester.
But that year delivered an unusually early and bitter cold spell. Winter arrived faster than expected, and the Connecticut River froze solid—locking in place the very supply chain the town depended on.
As the river turned to ice, transportation halted. No more shipments. No replenishment. No molasses.
And without molasses, there could be no proper Thanksgiving.
The First (and Only) Delayed Thanksgiving
Faced with this sticky dilemma—quite literally—the townspeople made an unprecedented decision: they postponed Thanksgiving by one week.
What sounds like a quaint historical footnote is actually one of the earliest recorded examples of how transportation disruptions can ripple through an entire community’s traditions. The one-week delay became such a defining moment that Colchester wrote it directly into the town’s proclamation. From that point on, Thanksgiving would officially be observed during the second week of November.
It’s a charming story, but it also highlights a truth that has been part of American life for centuries: our holidays, our food, and even our culture depend on supply chains working smoothly.
A 1700s Lesson for Today’s Supply Chain Challenges
While the idea of Thanksgiving being delayed feels humorous in hindsight, the underlying issue is one we still face today. Modern supply chains—though massively more complex and global—can still be disrupted by unexpected weather, transportation bottlenecks, demand surges, and infrastructure breakdowns.
The 1705 Colchester incident is almost a colonial-era version of the problems businesses face now:
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Single-route dependency → Connecticut River freezes
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Critical ingredient shortage → no molasses for key Thanksgiving foods
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Cultural/revenue impact → holiday shifted, community affected
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Operational workaround → postponement instead of cancellation
It’s an early reminder that logistics matter—not just for businesses, but for traditions that bring people together.
A Sweet Ending
Eventually, the river thawed just enough for the delayed shipment to arrive, and Colchester enjoyed its long-awaited Thanksgiving feast—pumpkin pies, baked beans, and all. And for decades afterward, the town continued celebrating Thanksgiving a week later than the rest of New England, all because of one frozen river and one delayed delivery.
So the next time your holiday package arrives late, or a favorite ingredient is out of stock at the store, remember:
Transportation delays have been reshaping holidays for over 300 years.
And once—just once—they even postponed Thanksgiving itself.