Old State House (Boston)

The previous building was the wooden Town House of 1657 which burned in the fire of 1711.Walter Muir Whitehill. Boston: A Topographical History. Today's brick Old State House was built in 1712–1713, and possibly designed by Robert Twelves. Some historians credit Thomas Dawes with being the architect, but he was of a later generation. His contributions probably came in about 1772, after a four-year period of the General Assembly having to meet in Cambridge due to British use of the building as a military barracks, which resulted in considerable damage.Holland, Henry W. William Dawes and his Ride with Paul Revere, p. 60, John Wilson & Son, Boston, Massachusetts, 1878.Dawes, C. Burr. William Dawes: First Rider for Revolution, pp. 60, 70, Historic Gardens Press, Dawes Arboretum, Newark, Ohio, 1976.Moore, George Henry. Prytaneum Bostoniense: Notes on the History of the Old State House, pp. 27–28, Upham & Co., Boston, Massachusetts, 1885. A notable feature is the pair of seven-foot tall wooden figures depicting a lion and unicorn, symbols of the British monarchy. A Royal Coat of Arms was removed from Council Chambers during the Revolution by Loyalists fleeing Boston;{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/cihm_00274/cihm_00274_djvu.txt |isbn=9780665002748 |title=History of Trinity Church, Saint John, New Brunswick, 1791-1891 [microform] / Compiled and edited by the Rev. Canon Brigstocke, rector, and issued by the rector, church wardens and vestry |year=1892 }} it has been at Trinity Anglican Church in Saint John, New Brunswick since 1791.{{cite web |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/in-canadas-new-brunswick-a-british-new-england.html |title=In Canada's New Brunswick, a British New England |date=July 10, 2022}} The coat of arms is now in the nave having survived the fire at Trinity in 1877.{{cite web |url=https://uelac.ca/monuments/trinity-anglican-church/ |title=Trinity Anglican Church}}

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 Old State House History. http://www.bostonhistory.org/?s=osh&p=history

The interior was rebuilt in 1748, after a fire in 1747; the exterior brick walls survived the fire.Sinclair and Catherine F. Hitchings. Theatre of Liberty: Boston's Old State House. 1975. NIST researchers have also researched the effects of the Cape Ann earthquake of 1755 on the building's foundation and walls, given the age of the structure.{{cite web |url=https://nehrpsearch.nist.gov/article/PB82-105008/XAB |title=Earthquake Resistance of the Old State House, Boston, Massachusetts. |author=Staff Writer |date=January 31, 1980 |publisher=NIST |access-date=March 31, 2021}}

In 1755, Spencer Phips, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, signed a Proclamation at the Old State House calling on all settlers to hunt and murder Penobscot men and women in exchange for pay and land. The Proclamation was one of more than 100 government-issued scalp bounties issued in the United States between 1675 and 1885. In 2021, Penobscot Nation leaders and their children visited the Old State House to read the proclamation out loud.{{cite web |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/11/15/documentary-bounty-colonialism-death-warrants-indigenous-people |title=Documentary 'Bounty' confronts colonial death warrants against Indigenous people |author=Erin Trahan |date=November 15, 2021 |publisher=WBUR-FM |access-date=November 18, 2021}}

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. John Adams later wrote of that speech, "Then and there ... the child independence was born."Quoted in Boston and the American Revolution, National Park Handbook 146.

File:Boston Massacre high-res.jpg, shows the Old State House sitting prominently behind the action.]]

On March 5, 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred near the front of the building on Devonshire Street. Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson stood on the building's balcony to speak to the people, ordering the crowd to return to their homes.Robert J. Allison. The Boston Massacre. 2006.

On July 18, 1776, Colonel Thomas Crafts read the Declaration of Independence from the east side balcony to jubilant crowds. At one o'clock, he rose in the Council Chamber and read it to the members.Sinclair and Catherine F. Hitchings. Theatre of Liberty: Boston's Old State House. Sheriff William Greenleaf attempted to read it from the balcony, but he could only muster a whisper. Crafts then stood next to the sheriff and read it from the balcony in a stentorian tone. For most people, it was a festive occasion, as about two-thirds of Boston residents supported independence. The lion and the unicorn on top of the building were removed and burned in a bonfire on King Street.Sinclair and Catherine F. Hitchings. Theatre of Liberty: Boston's Old State House.

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.

From 1830 to 1841, the building was Boston's city hall. The city's offices had been in the County Court House. In 1830, Isaiah Rogers altered the building's interior in a Greek Revival style, most notably adding the spiral staircase that remains today. The building was damaged by fire in 1832.

City Hall shared the building with the Boston Post Office and several private businesses. On October 21, 1835, Mayor Theodore Lyman, Jr. gave temporary refuge to William Lloyd Garrison, the editor of the abolitionist paper The Liberator, who was being chased by a violent mob. Garrison was kept safe in the Old State House until being driven to the Leverett Street Jail, where he was protected overnight but charged with inciting a riot. In 1841, City Hall moved to the former Suffolk County Courthouse on School Street.Old City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts. {{cite web |url=http://www.oldcityhall.com/history.html |title=Welcome to Old City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts |access-date=November 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111112934/http://www.oldcityhall.com/history.html |archive-date=November 11, 2011}}

File:USA-The Old State House1.JPG

After Boston's city hall left, the whole building was rented out for commercial use. This had been the case once before, in the interim between the State House period and the City Hall period. Occupants included tailors, clothing merchants, insurance agents, railroad line offices, and more. As many as fifty businesses used the building at once.Hillary Hopkins. Boston's Historic Places — So What? An interactive guide for the thoughtful walker.

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. In 1881–1882, restorations were conducted by George A. Clough.Architecture, June 1993. In 1882, replicas of the lion and unicorn statues were placed atop the East side of the building, after the originals that had been burned in 1776.Official National Park Handbook 146. Boston and the American Revolution. On the West side, the building sports a statue of an eagle in recognition of the Old State House's connection to American history.

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Since 1904, the State Street MBTA station has occupied part of the building's basement. The East Boston Tunnel opened in 1904, now called the Blue Line, and the Washington Street Tunnel opened in 1908, now part of the Orange Line.Celebrate Boston website. http://www.celebrateboston.com/mbta/orange-line/elevated-division.htm The Boston Marine Museum occupied rooms borrowed from the Bostonian Society from 1909 to 1947.[http://rfi.bostonhistory.org Bostonian Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509223522/http://rfi.bostonhistory.org/ |date=May 9, 2010}}. Catalog description of "Marine Museum records, 1909-1948." Retrieved December 23, 2011

Queen Elizabeth II toured the Old State House with her husband on July 11, 1976 as part of her Boston visit to celebrate the bicentenary of the United States of America. She appeared on the historic balcony and delivered an address to a large audience.{{cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/the-times-recorder/1976-07-12/ |title=Queen Elizabeth Ends U.S. Visit |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Times Recorder |date=July 12, 1976 |access-date=July 24, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

{{quote|If Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and other patriots could have known that one day a British monarch would stand on the balcony of the Old State House, from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston, and be greeted in such kind and generous words—well, I think they would have been extremely surprised! But perhaps they would also have been pleased to know that eventually we came together again as free peoples and friends to defend together the very ideals for which the American Revolution was fought.}}

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Today, tall buildings of Boston's financial district surround the Old State House. However, they do not entirely block the view of the building, and it can be seen clearly from a good distance away on the harborfront. The Old State House sits atop the State station on the MBTA subway's Blue and Orange lines, and the station can be entered from the basement. The building is available for private events. The museum is open year-round, seven days a week except for some holidays.{{Cite web|url=https://www.revolutionaryspaces.org/hours-admission/|title=Hours & Admission at Revolutionary Spaces|website=Revolutionary Spaces|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-29}}

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.

The Old State House frequently has preservation and restoration projects as a part of the ongoing effort to keep the building in good condition. In 2006, the museum underwent a restoration to repair water-damaged masonry. The damage had long been a problem, but it was aggravated in fall 2005 by Hurricane Wilma. The project was the subject of an episode of The History Channel's Save Our History.[http://www.bostonhistory.org/?s=osh&p=preservation&sub=priorities The Bostonian Society: Preservation projects] Retrieved September 7, 2013

In 2008, the museum's tower was given a major restoration. During the project, the building's 1713 weathervane was re-gilded, which may have been made by Shem Drowne. The windows were repaired and resealed, the balustrades were repaired, and the copper roofing and rotten wood siding were replaced. This was done to prevent structural damage and to protect the museum's collections and the 1831 clock by Simon Willard below.Old State House Tower Restoration Project http://oldstatehousetower.blogspot.com/

• Brockton Fairgrounds, Brockton, MA[https://www.wpri.com/new-england/massachusetts/suspicious-fire-breaks-out-at-brockton-fairgrounds/ ‘Suspicious’ fire breaks out at Brockton fairgrounds], by: Melanie DaSilva, March 17, 2021, WPRI[https://patch.com/massachusetts/attleboro/4-arson-fires-burglary-occur-overnight-brockton 4 Arson Fires And A Burglary Occur Overnight In Brockton]; by: Ian Miller; March 22, 2021, Patch.com news
• Curry College, Milton, MA; Traditional residence, North Side[https://www.curry.edu/student-life/living-at-curry/residence-halls/state-house Residence Halls - State House], Curry College
• Eastern States Exposition ("The Big E"), West Springfield, MA; Avenue of States section[https://www.thebige.com/p/thingstodo/avenue/massachusetts-building Massachusetts Building], The Big "E".[https://www.mass.gov/locations/massachusetts-state-exposition-building Massachusetts State Exposition Building], Mass.Gov
• Jamestown, Virginia Expo. of 1907, State buildings section
• Weymouth Civic District, Weymouth, MA town hall

File:1751 CourtHouse Boston byNathanielHurd.png|The "Court House" in 1751

File:1793 StateHouse Boston MassMag.png|Engraving by Samuel Hill, published in the Massachusetts Magazine, 1793

File:Old State House and State Street, Boston 1801.jpg|State Street, 1801, by J. Marston

File:Brown OldStateHouse BostonDirectory1849.png|Advertisement for Clothing Warehouse in the Old State House, 1849

File:Old State House2.jpg|Old State House, c. 1898 photo.

File:2350780231 OldStateHs.jpg|Old State House, 19th century

File:Old State House 1.jpg|The tower a year prior to restoration, 2007

File:USA Old State House 2 MA.jpg|The Old State House's spiral staircase

File:Old State House subway entrance.JPG|Devonshire Street entrance to State subway station

• List of National Historic Landmarks in Boston
• National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts
• List of members of the colonial Massachusetts House of Representatives

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{{Commons category|Old State House, Boston|Old State House}}

• [http://bostonhistory.org/ Boston Historical Society - Old State House]
• [https://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm Boston National Historical Park Official Website]
• [http://www.thefreedomtrail.org Freedom Trail Foundation] (Official website of the Freedom Trail)
• City of Boston, [https://www.boston.gov/departments/landmarks-commission/landmark-study-reports Boston Landmarks Commission][https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Old%20State%20House%20-%20Study%20Report%20Amended%20175.A_tcm3-45870.pdf Old State House Study Report]

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Category:Government buildings completed in 1713

Category:Government buildings in Boston

Category:Landmarks in Financial District, Boston

Category:Landmarks in Boston

Category:Museums in Boston

Category:National Historic Landmarks in Boston

Massachusetts

Category:Massachusetts General Court

Category:History museums in Massachusetts

Category:Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts

Category:Boston National Historical Park

Category:1713 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay

Category:Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Boston