Old State House

206 Washington St, Boston, MA 02109, USA

Massachusetts

state

MA - Boston

county

MA - Boston

city

MUSEUM

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The Old State House was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is one of the landmarks on Boston's Freedom Trail and is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. It now serves as a history museum. The Old State House was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1994.

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Surviving Structures, Exhibits, Programs, Gift Shop

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The previous building was the wooden Town House of 1657 which burned in the fire of 1711. Today's brick Old State House was built in 1712–1713, and possibly designed by Robert Twelves. The building housed a Merchant's Exchange on the first floor and warehouses in the basement. The east side of the second floor contained the Council Chamber of the Royal Governor, while the west end contained chambers for the Courts of Suffolk County and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The central portion contained the chambers for the Massachusetts General Court. This chamber is notable for including public galleries, the first example of such being included in a chamber for elected officials. The interior was rebuilt in 1748, after a fire in 1747; the exterior brick walls survived the fire.

STATE HOUSE

EST. 1713

In 1761, James Otis argued against the Writs of Assistance in the Royal Council Chamber. He lost the case, but he influenced public opinion in a way that contributed to the American Revolution. On March 5, 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred in front of the building on Devonshire Street. On July 18, 1776, Colonel Thomas Crafts read the Declaration of Independencefrom the east side balcony to jubilant crowds. At one o'clock, he rose in the Council Chamber and read it to the members. After the American Revolution, the building served as the seat of the Massachusetts state government until 1798, when it moved to the Massachusetts State House.