300 years through the eyes of the Old State House - Bostonian Society

300 years through the eyes of the Old State House
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1713 Old State House opens as the site of British provincial government. The tallest and most imposing
structure in Boston, it bears witness to the growing importance of royal power in Massachusetts.
Much of the original brick wall remain today.
1761 In the Council Chamber, James Otis delivers an eloquent argument against British Writs of
Assistance, the rough equivalent of today’s warrantless “search and seizure.” His impassioned speech
stirs patriotic sentiment against British rule and is considered one of the significant events leading to
the American Revolution. "Otis was a flame of fire," John Adams later wrote;“then and there the
child Independence was born."
1767 Public gallery built in Representatives Hall, allowing citizens to hear their elected officials debate the
popular issues of the day; this is one of the first known provisions for allowing public accountability of
elected officials in the English-speaking world. Moderate lawmakers must now think twice before
supporting royal power.
1770 Boston Massacre occurs outside. Five Bostonians, including Crispus Attucks, are killed by British
soldiers. Nine of the British soldiers are tried for murder. John Adams agrees to represent them in
court; seven are acquitted and two are found guilty of manslaughter.
1776 March: British troops evacuate, ending the siege of Boston. The independent state government
returns from exile and establishes its offices in the Old State House.
1776 July: Jubilant Bostonians crowd around the Old State House balcony to hear the Declaration of
Independence proclaimed. As sheriff, soft-voiced William Greenleaf is charged with reading the
Declaration. Understanding the gravity of the moment, he enlists Col. Thomas Crafts, Jr., an artillery
officer known for his booming voice, to repeat each line after him. After the reading, the crowd
celebrates by tearing all signs of royal power from the building, including the lion and unicorn
sculptures from the rooftop, and burning them in a bonfire. “Thus ends royall Authority in this State,”
wrote Abigail Adams, who stood in the crowd that day.
1780 John Hancock is elected first Governor of the Commonwealth and inaugurated in the Council
Chamber. Hancock greets the public from the balcony and watches as thirteen cannon are fired in
his honor.
1780-1798 The building serves as the first Massachusetts State House.
1789 President Washington visits Boston and views a parade in his honor from a temporary balcony at the
west end of the Old State House. A procession of Boston’s craftsmen, arranged by their trade,
stretches many blocks up what is now Washington Street.
1793 Open-air banquet is held at the Old State House in honor of the French Revolution. Bostonians
celebrate the spirit of revolution by consuming 800 loaves of bread and a 1000-pound ox.
1798 The Old State House is renovated for private shops. Among the first tenants are wine merchants, wig
makers, hatters and a restaurant. A fencing master gives classes in Representatives Hall.

300 years through the eyes of the Old State House
1830 Renovated in 1830 by architects Isiah Rogers and William Washburn, the Old State House is used as
Boston City Hall through 1840. The beautiful clock on the building’s east façade dates to this period.
1835 Publisher and abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison is chased by an angry Boston mob and takes refuge
inside the Old State House. He is rescued by marshals and spirited from the building.
1840 Returned to use as a commercial building, the Old State House falls into disrepair for 40 years.
Billboards, a porch and a mansard roof are added.
1881 The Bostonian Society is founded to preserve the building. City of Boston agrees to restore the Old
State House to its historic appearance and leases upstairs to the Society for use as a museum.
1882 Restoration completed under City Architect George Clough and Councilman William Whitmore
(the Bostonian Society's first president). The Lion and Unicorn are returned to the east facade.
1905 State Street subway entrance (Blue and Orange Lines) opens under the Old State House.
1943 The Council Chamber is restored by Perry, Shaw & Hepburn (now Perry Dean Rogers), veteran
architects who had been instrumental in launching Colonial Williamsburg.
1960 Boston National Historic Sites Commission declares Old State House the most important public
building built in America prior to the Declaration of Independence.
1974 Old State House becomes a site within the Boston National Historical Park.
1976 Queen Elizabeth II visits the city and addresses Bostonians from the Old State House balcony. She
stated, in part, “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!”
1988 U.S. postage stamp of Old State House released to commemorate the anniversary of Massachusetts’
ratification of the US Constitution. The Massachusetts' State constitution, particularly its system of
checks and balances, provision for a strong executive, and bill of rights, was a model for the framing
of the US Constitution.
1992 Following extensive two-year National Park Service/Goody Clancy restoration, the Old State House
reopens with new exhibits, office space and climate control.
2013 300th anniversary of the Old State House!
What will the next 300 years bring
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