Old State House and Massacre Site - Shots on State Street

Old State House and Massacre Site - Shots on State Street

Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on Boston Freedom Trail, a free self-guided tour.

Built in 1713, the Old State House was the seat of British colonial government, and it's the oldest surviving public building in Boston. The lion and unicorn on the roof are royal symbols. The originals were pulled down and burned in 1776, and the ones you see are replacements.

Now look for the circle of cobblestones set into the street just in front of the building. On the night of March 5, 1770, a crowd taunted British soldiers here. The soldiers fired, and five men died, among them Crispus Attucks, a sailor of African and Native descent. Patriots quickly called it the Boston Massacre and used it to stir anger against the crown.

John Adams, a future president, defended the soldiers in court because he believed everyone deserved a fair trial. Most were acquitted.

On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud from the balcony above you to a cheering crowd.

Getting here: Continue down Washington Street to State Street and turn right; the Old State House sits in the middle of the intersection, with the Massacre circle on its far side.

Did you know?: Two of the soldiers were convicted of manslaughter and branded on their thumbs instead of being executed.

Photo op: Stand on the traffic island beside the Massacre circle, with care for traffic, and frame the balcony and lion and unicorn above.

More on Wikipedia: Old State House · Boston Massacre · Crispus Attucks · John Adams

Stops on this tour

  1. Boston Common - Where Cows Grazed and Redcoats Camped
  2. Massachusetts State House - The Golden Dome
  3. Park Street Church - Brimstone Corner
  4. Granary Burying Ground - Patriots at Rest
  5. King's Chapel - The Church That Ran Out of Money
  6. Boston Latin School Site - America's First Public School
  7. Old Corner Bookstore - Where Books Changed America
  8. Old South Meeting House - The Tea Party Starts Here
  9. Old State House and Massacre Site - Shots on State Street
  10. Faneuil Hall - The Cradle of Liberty
  11. Paul Revere House - Home of a Busy Silversmith
  12. Old North Church - Two Lanterns in the Steeple
  13. Copp's Hill Burying Ground - A View Across the River
  14. USS Constitution - Old Ironsides Still Afloat
  15. Bunker Hill Monument - The Battle on Breed's Hill