Why We Were Mad: The Old State House in Boston

A few years ago, we started our Visit All US Capitols quest, and visited the Massachusetts State House in Boston. After finding out that Massachusetts locked up their Liberty Bell, we went on with our life, not realizing that they have an Old State House too, also in Boston. Finally we visited and learned more fascinating history. Come with us and find out some interesting facts!

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The Old State House in Boston

One of the landmarks on Boston’s Freedom Trail, the Old State House is now a history museum. In 1960, it became a National Historic Landmark. Nowadays, it is part of the Boston National Historical Park NPS site.

Built in 1713, the building didn’t start out as a state house, because Massachusetts wasn’t a state yet. They started as a colony, part of the British Empire.

The Oldest surviving public building in Boston

Not only is the Old State House one of the oldest public buildings in the United States, it is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. The oldest residential building in Boston is the James Blake House, which was built in 1661, almost half a century before the Old State House.

1713: Government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Beginning in 1713, the Old State House housed the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a so-called “charter colony”. This meant that the colonists elected their own administration. Also, they could self-govern, as long as its laws aligned with those of England.

To make sure they aligned with the British Empire, the king of England sent a governor. His office was in the building that is now the old state house of Boston. Back then the colonists were a content part of the English empire, the king was far away and didn’t interfere with the Massachusetts Bay colonists. Until he did…

No Taxation Without Representation

When England needed money, they decided to tax the colonies. Unsurprisingly, the colonies weren’t always happy with that decision.

1764: The Sugar Act: See If We Care!

After the French and Indian War, England had a lot of debt, so decided to levy taxes. The war was in America, so of course, they tried to recover the money from the American colonies. Suddenly the colonists weren’t proud to be British anymore and stopped buying English luxury imports. That way they evaded the whole import issue and didn’t generate income for England.

Instead they increased colonial manufacturing which was good for their local economy. So there weren’t many protests until Parliament increased taxes on the colonies by passing the Stamp Act.

1765: The Stamp Act: Yes, We Do Care.

After the French and Indian war, England stationed military troops in the American colonies, but that was expensive. So they created the Stamp Act, to finance these military troops in Boston and other colonies. The colonists didn’t really want the troops and certainly weren’t going to pay for them.

The Stamp Act required that all newspapers and official documents in the North American colonies be printed on stamped paper from London. Additionally, this had to be paid for in British hard currency. The colonies had their own currency, so British money was hard to come by.

Unfortunately for the British, the people most affected by the act, were also the most politically active: attorneys, judges, students and newspaper printers. After violent protest, England repealed the Stamp Act and instead enacted the Declaratory Act.

1766: Declaratory Act: England has all the power!

This time, Great Britain came up with the Declaratory Act, which asserted Britain’s ultimate right of control over the colonies. It basically said that England could legislate for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”.

Since it wasn’t actively enforced at first, the colonists mostly ignored this act. They figured, the Stamp Act is gone, so who cares about England. Until a year later when the British got serious about getting their money. Yet another Act showed up.

1767: The Townshend Acts: Lots of Protests

The Townshend Acts levied a tax on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea. In addition to levying these taxes, they created the American Board of Customs. This board prosecuted smugglers and controlled the trade regulations imposed by England.

Unhappy colonists staged many protests against yet another random Act in which they did not had any input. The whole taxation without representation issue again.

1768: British Troops Arrive in Boston

Reacting to the protests, the British government dispatched troops to Boston. Over the next two years, one third of the me in the city was a British soldier. Bostonians hated their presence, which eventually lead to the Boston Massacre.

1770: The Boston Massacre

In 1770, the tensions between the troops and the colonists reached a boiling point, and leads to a stand-off between soldiers and Bostonians. This time the confrontation, in front of the Old State House, turned violent. Angry townspeople surrounded soldiers and threw rocks and sticks.

Because the soldiers became nervous, they opened fire on the colonists. They ended up killing five and wounding several others. One of the victims was Crispus Attucks, a free sailor of African and Native American descent who often is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution.

Although “only” five people died, revolutionaries Paul Revere and Samuel Adams successfully used them in their propaganda against the British.

1773: The Boston Tea Party

After the Boston Massacre, England pulled its soldiers out of town, but England wasn’t done with the colonies yet.

Great Britain granted the British East India Company a monopoly to sell tea to the North American Colonies. The colonists weren’t willing to pay for this expensive tea. In protest, they dumped 340 chests of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor. Exasperated Britain hit back with yet another Act, the Coercive Act.

1774: The Coercive Acts: England is the Boss

The Coercive Acts (nicknamed The Intolerable Acts in the American Colonies) closed Boston Harbor, and placed Massachusetts Government under control of Britain. For the colonists, this was the final insult and they declared themselves independent of England.

1776: Declaration of Independence: We are our Own Boss!

On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud from the east side balcony of the Old State House in Boston. After the reading, they removed the lion and the unicorn (symbols of the British Empire) from the top of the building and burned them in a bonfire. Good riddance!

From that day on, the Old State House building in Boston served as the seat of the Massachusetts state government before they moved to the present Massachusetts State House in 1798.

1830: Boston City Hall

From 1830 to 1841, the building was Boston’s City Hall. They shared the building with the Boston Post Office and several private businesses.

1841: Commercial Use

After Boston’s city hall left, the whole building was used by tailors, clothing merchants, insurance agents, railroad line offices, and more. In 1881, there were plans to destroy the building to free up more space for real estate, but luckily, the Bostonian Society was formed to preserve the Old State House with its connection to America history.

1881: Saved by The Bostonian Society

After the Bostonian Society acquired the Old State house, they placed replicas of the lion and unicorn statues atop the East side of the building, after the originals that had been burned in 1776. On the West side, the building sports a statue of an eagle, in recognition of the Old State House’s connection to American history.

Why A Unicorn? Are we in a Fairy Tale?

When we first saw the Old State House in Boston, I noticed the lion and the unicorn on top. Easy enough to explain the lion, a very royal animal, but I had no idea why the unicorn. Such a mythical animal seemed out of place.

During the museum visit I found out that the unicorn stands for Scotland, and it is one of the only animals that supposedly can take on a lion.

Today: The Old State House is a Museum

Nowadays, the building houses an interesting museum, which is definitely worth a visit. In addition to a lot of revolutionary history, it also shows black history and our connection to the native peoples.

ADA Accessibility of the Old State House

At the moment, the Old State House in Boston is not wheel chair accessible. With my hiking poles I was able to visit the whole museum, but it involved stairs, with railings. They are in the planning stages of several changes to increase accessibility to the museum. Although historical buildings pose many challenges to accessibility for visitors who cannot use stairs, the museum plans to use new technologies to solve this problem and add a ramp and wheelchair lift.

The Old State House in Boston: Conclusion

We discovered a wealth of interesting national history during our visit to the Old State House in Boston. When you find yourself in Boston, be sure to visit! Have you been to any state houses, old or new? Please share in the comments

Other US State Houses and Capitols to Visit

• Ten Surprising New Hampshire State House Facts New Hampshire people are cheapskates!
• Ten Surprising Vermont State House Facts Discover ancient fossils;
• The Maine State House With bells on;
• The Massachusetts State House Where the Boston Italian North End was born;
• The Old State House in Boston, site of the Boston Massacre.
• Connecticut Capitol Fun Facts Home of the so-called “Black Law”;
• Rhode Island State House: Ten Surprising Facts Discover its Dutch history;
• New York State Capitol. An expensive boondoggle;
• Alaska Capitol. Which animal guards it?
• Washington State Capitol. Women’s suffrage for the win!
• Breaking news: why Puerto Rico has a State House of its own!
• The US Virgin Islands have a Capitol Building in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. Voted the state Capitol building with the best view!
• Get inspired by our Travel Quests and start your own!

When you visit any of these or other state houses, don’t forget to check out whether they have a full size replica of the Liberty Bell. Most of them do.

Explore the Freedom Trail from Home

Since we are still in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, here is great link to let you enjoy the Boston Freedom Trail right from the comfort of your home: Virtual tour of the Freedom Trail;