Table Of Content
The incident began with local boys taunting a British sentry on a cold March night. Mobs of laborers, sailors, and others of "the lower sort" joined into the confrontation. A detachment of seven soldiers under command of a Captain eventually emerged on the scene to rescue the beleaguered sentry. When they crossed the square to reach him, the crowd formed around them and the captain had the men draw into a small perimeter, muskets loaded. The Old State House is today a popular tourist destination and still operated as a museum by a group called Revolutionary Spaces.
Key Historic Sites to See in Rome
The Boston Antiquarian Club reorganizes as the Bostonian Society and creates a museum of Boston’s history inside the Old State House. Recreations of the former lion and unicorn statues are reinstalled on the building. The Old State House was also part of the Boston Massacre of 1770, as attested to by a plaque beneath its balcony which indicates that this was the location where British soldiers fired into a group of Bostonians. This balcony was the scene of happier times on 18 July 1776, when Colonel Thomas Crafts read out the Declaration of Independence to the public for the first time. A cobblestone circle beneath the Old State House balcony marks the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre.
Old State House Museum
The Oldest Building In Boston Was Built Almost 400 Years Ago - Boston Uncovered
The Oldest Building In Boston Was Built Almost 400 Years Ago.
Posted: Thu, 03 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In July of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was reading to the city from the second story balcony. A lion and unicorn (symbols of Royal authority) that graced the edifice of the building were torn down and burned by the patriots. Operated by Revolutionary Spaces, Old State House served as the seat of colonial and state governments of Massachusetts. Visitors can learn more about early colonial and revolutionary history and enter rooms where history happened.
History
The second floor housed the Royal Governor’s Council Chamber, Representatives’ Hall, and the Supreme Judicial Court. The assembly that met in Representatives’ Hall was one of the most democratic bodies in the colonial world, and featured the first public gallery in the Western world, where citizens could observe the government in action. Constructed in 1713, the Old State House (known as the “Town House” until the Revolution) was the center of royal government in Massachusetts Bay Colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution’s most dramatic events. The Boston Massacre unfolded in its shadow on March 5, 1770, and eyewitness accounts were collected inside in the subsequent days. The Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in Boston from the balcony of the Old State House on July 18, 1776.
The Unicorn and Lion on the Old State House Are Coming Down for Restoration - Boston magazine
The Unicorn and Lion on the Old State House Are Coming Down for Restoration.
Posted: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The Old State House was originally completed in 1713 and served the multiple functions of being a merchant’s hall and the seat of the colonial government. However, a fire in 1747 meant that it had to be rebuilt to a great extent in 1748 and further restoration and changes were made to the Old State House in 1830. In the cacophony of taunts, screams, and church bells ringing, one of the soldiers was struck. Most of the other soldiers opened fired in response, thinking an order had been given. The captain never gave an order, but as the balls flew through the street, men fell dead and wounded. The first bloodshed of the Revolution fell on to the ice and snow in front of the Old State House.
of the Best Historic Sites in Washington D.C.
On July 18, 1776, Bostonians gathered under the balcony of Old State to hear for the first time the Declaration of Independence. 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 that was operated by the Bostonian Society through 2019. After the American army gained control of Boston from the British in March of 1776, the Old State House became the seat of government for the new state of Massachusetts.
Explore the National Park Service
After the government left, the building was used for offices and stores until 1881. In response, the Bostonian Society was formed to save the building and convert it to a museum. They restored the building to its pre-Revolutionary War appearance, including replicas of the lion and unicorn that were destroyed in 1776. Throughout its history, the courts and city, state, and colonial government met at the Old State House.
In 1830, Isaiah Rogers alters the building's interior in a Greek Revival style, most notably adding the spiral staircase that remains today. The election of John Hancock as the first governor of the new state of Massachusetts is announced from the balcony. Today, standing amid the skyscrapers of downtown Boston, the Old State House tells the story of Boston’s role in the American Revolution and its connection to the American struggle to create and sustain a free society. Operated by Revolutionary Spaces and owned by the City of Boston, the Old State House is a designated a National Historic Landmark, a Boston Landmark, and a site within the Boston National Historical Park on the Freedom Trail. Discover a host of historical sites linked to the American Revolutionary War, from the Freedom Trail to Yorktown Battlefield and more. If travelling via public transport, the nearest stations to Old State House are State Street (Orange/Blue Line), Government Center (Green Line) and Downtown Crossing (Red Line).
Revolutionary Character
Don't forget to sit in the Royal Governor's chair inside the newly restored King's Council Chamber and experience what it was like to be the most powerful person in Colonial America. Both Otis and Adams, as well as Adams' cousin Samuel and merchant John Hancock, served as representatives in the Massachusetts provincial legislature. Samuel Adams and James Otis proved to be among some of the most notorious members, arguing for measures which increasingly created friction with the royal governor and his supporters. Dive into the history of the events that took place within and outside this building's wall by visiting the Old State House, stewarded by Revolutionary Spaces. The next stop on Freedom Trail is the site of the Boston Massacre, located on a busy street in front of the museum and commemorated by a cobblestone ring on the plaza in front of the Old State House. The museum offers an array of programming and exhibitions, some tied to the Boston Massacre.
As important as what occurred inside the State House was what happened just outside its doors. It was in front of the Old State House where the Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. Today a small ring of stones sits close to the location where eight British soldiers opened fire into a mob of colonists, killing five and wounding six. The event was important in garnering public support against British soldiers stationed in Boston. Following the event, patriot Paul Revere made an engraving a famous engraving of the event and situated prominently in the background of the image was the Old State House.
There are several parking sites in the vicinity of the Old State House, including the Post Office Square Garage, Pi Alley Garage, 75 State Street Garage. Today the Old State House is a museum of Boston’s history managed by the Bostonian Society as well as being part of Boston National Historical Park. Guided tours of the Freedom Trail – of which the State House forms a part – are available, but you can also walk it independently. Explore at your own pace and enjoy tours and performances led by fun, interactive guides or fully-costumed Revolutionary Characters. Discover historic period rooms filled with multi-sensory exhibits, beautiful art and important artifacts. Visit the site of the infamous Boston Massacre, one of the pivotal moments on America’s road to Revolution.
The Bostonian Society was formed in 1881 to preserve and steward the Old State House, in response to plans for the possible demolition of the building due to real estate potential. The entrance to the Old State House is located on the south side of the building, facing the pedestrian walkway, just a few steps off the red brick line of The Freedom Trail. Journey through this Freedom Trail museum filled with a vivid collection of Revolution-era artifacts and other one-of-a-kind objects from the past, each one contributing to the amazing story of Revolutionary Boston. Highlights include John Hancock's lavish red velvet coat, arms and ammunition from Revolutionary War battles, and tea salvaged from the Boston Tea Party.
No comments:
Post a Comment