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.

Approximate Time to Allow: 1 hr

Old State House

On March 5, 1770, the tension from British military occupation of Boston escalated into the event now referred to as the Boston Massacre. There was heavy military presence in Downtown Boston in order to maintain control over civilians and to enforce the Townshend Act.

Boston Massacre Site

The Old Corner Bookstore, located on the corner of School and Washington Streets, was built in 1718 as an apothecary shop and residence. During the 19th century, it housed the Ticknor and Fields Publishing House and later became the literary center of Boston. Authors such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau brought manuscripts here to be published. It is now known as the Globe Corner Bookstore and specializes in New England travel books and maps. Before the Old Corner Bookstore was built, the original building was the home of Mrs. Anne Hutchison, who was condemned for her dissent from Puritan orthodoxy.

The Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and stands today as a symbol of the right to free speech and free assembly. The most well known meeting that took place here was held by the Sons of Liberty on December 16, 1773. The discussion in protest of the British tax on tea led directly to the Boston Tea Party, which took place later that very evening. 5,000 colonists gathered in the Old South Meeting House that day, an example of one of the larger crowds that could not have been accommodated by Faneuil Hall.

Approximate Time to Allow: 30 min

Old South Meeting House

Established in 1635, the Boston Latin School was the first public school in America. By inviting boys of any social class to enter, the school set a precedent for tax-supported public education. The Boston Latin School’s curriculum is inspired by the 18th century latin-school movement, which centered on the idea that study of the classics was the basis of an educated mind. Some of the school’s most famous students were Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, Henry Ward Beecher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Hancock, and Leonard Bernstein.  A statue of Benjamin Franklin keeps a watchful eye on the site and a mosaic on the sidewalk behind King’s Chapel marks the spot as well.

Kings Chapel is a Christian Unitarian church located on Tremont and School Streets. The church was organized in 1686, making it the oldest member of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the first Anglican Church. Beside the church is the Kings Chapel Burying Ground, which was Boston’s only burial ground for 30 years. Many historical figures are buried here, including John Winthrop, the colony governor, William Dawes, who rode with Paul Revere on the Midnight Ride, Mary Chilton, the first woman off the Mayflower), and William Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s father.The original building was a wooden church built in 1688 and it was replaced by the current stone building in 1754. The bell was hung in 1772 and was recast by Paul Revere in 1814; it still rings at services today.

Approximate Time to Allow: 30 min