The Old State House, built in 1713 on the site of the first Town House, is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. The building served as a meeting place for the exchange of economic and local news and was said to be the center of politics in the colonies. The Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony on the east side of the building, and just below it is the spot where the Boston Massacre took place. The Old State House is one of the most important public buildings in the U.S.

The Old State House’s various rooms housed a merchant’s exchange, rented warehouse space in the basement, the Council Chamber of the Royal Governor, the Massachusetts Assembly (colonial legislature), and the Courts of Suffolk County and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In 1798 the government functions relocated to the new State House on Beacon Hill and the building served as Boston’s City Hall. In 1841, the building returned to commercial use and in 1881 it was taken over by The Bostonian Society, who began to operate it as a museum of Boston history.

The upper level chambers have been preserved and the rest of the building has been made into a museum. The Old State House attracts many visitors as one of the historic landmarks on the Freedom Trail.