Old State House

Boston’s Old State House is an important place both in Bostonian and American history.  It was built in 1713 to serve as the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, replacing the original Town House that had burned down in 1711.  A center of politics and commerce, it hosted a public Merchant’s Exchange on the first floor, served as the seat of the British Royal Governor, and housed the elected Massachusetts Assembly.  The controversial Boston Massacre of 1770 occurred when British Regulars fired into a rioting crowd of civilians below the balcony of the Old State House. The Old State House served as the seat of the newly formed Commonwealth of Massachusetts after the Revolution until the new State House was built in 1798.  Used for a variety of other governmental and commercial purposes throughout the 1800s, the Old State House was restored to its historic condition by the Bostonian Society in 1881 and preserved for posterity as a museum.

• Look to the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from in 1776
• Check out the collectionf of artifacts in the two-story exhibits by the Bostonian Society