The Old South Meeting House is one of the most iconic buildings in Boston and truly a historic American treasure. Although it is a museum today, it once echoed with exhortations from some of the most important orators of the revolutionary era and served as a crucial public meeting place for decades. So whether you are walking the famed Freedom Trail or simply exploring Boston on your own accord, a visit to the Old South Meeting House is an absolute must!
History
The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 to replace a 17th-century house of worship for the Puritans of Boston. Although it was used for religious purposes, the building was Boston’s largest hall and often used for gatherings and public meetings that could not be accommodated in Faneuil Hall. Some famous church members included Phillis Wheatley (the first published Black poet, who was baptized here in 1771), James Otis, Samuel Adams, Thomas Cushing, and William Dawes (of the “midnight ride” fame).
In June 1768, an over-crowded meeting at Faneuil Hall, which protested the capture of John Hancock’s sloop Liberty by British customs officials, was moved to the more spacious Old South Meeting House. Then following the “Boston Massacre,” which took place on March 5, 1770 outside the Old State House, there was a gathering in the Old South Meeting House to protest the violent actions of British troops (they were removed to Castle Island in Boston Harbor following talks). In the following years, annual “Boston Massacre” orations were given at the Old South Meeting House: on April 2, 1771 by James Lowell, on March 5, 1772 by Joseph Warren, and on March 5, 1773 by Benjamin Church. The year 1773 would prove to be a tumultuous and pivotal year in the pre-revolution period.
In response to the May 1773 Tea Act passed by the British Parliament, a series of meetings took place at the Old South Meeting House from December 14-16, 1773. A focus of this meeting was to discuss and protest a recent shipment of taxed tea, which remained aboard ships at Griffin’s Wharf. The anger within the meeting house was palpable and on the night of December 16, approximately 150 men, said to have had soot-darkened faces and wearing various forms of American Indian dress, marched down to Griffin’s Wharf, destroyed 342 chests of tea and dumped it in Boston Harbor- an event now famously known as the “Boston Tea Party.”
Following the destruction of the taxed tea, British troops stationed on Castle Island were brought back into the city of Boston to restore law and order. Then on March 5, 1774, the 4th annual “Boston Massacre” oration was given by John Hancock at the Old South Meeting House. Other town meetings occurred there in the following months, to include a June 27-28 protest of the Coercive Acts.
On March 6, 1775, thousands of Bostonians prepared for the 5th annual “Boston Massacre” oration; however, speaker Joseph Warren (who belonged to the Sons of Liberty and was a staunch patriot) was initially prevented from entering the Old South Meeting House by British soldiers, who surrounded the building. Joseph Warren, due to the British troops and swelling crowds, was forced to enter the building through a window from behind the pulpit. He delivered a passionate speech that greatly roused the crowd and was met with “boos” and “hisses” from British soldiers present. A mere six weeks later, the American Revolution would be sparked on Lexington Green and at Concord’s North Bridge and Boston was essentially put on lock down.
During the British occupation of Boston, the box pews of the Old South Meeting House were gutted (presumably used for firewood during the winter) and the interior space was used as a horse stable and riding school for the British Light Horse 17th regiment of Dragoons. Other disgraceful uses of the meeting house by the British included a bar in the balcony.
After the British evacuated Boston in March 1776, the American Army under command of General George Washington entered the beleaguered city. Washington actually visited the Old South Meeting House to examine the destruction done by the British Army. He is said to have stood in the balcony, looked over the wreck below, and wondered how the British, “who so venerate their own churches, should thus have desecrated ours.” The congregation would not restore the Old South Meeting House until 1783.
Following the American Revolution, the Old South Meeting House remained- it even survived the 1872 Great Boston Fire, which destroyed dozens of city acres and stopped just at the edge of the building. Later in the 1870s, the congregation sold the building and moved to a different location. Thankfully, it was saved from demolition in 1876, preserved as a historic landmark to remember the American Revolution, and has served as a public museum since 1877. In the 1920s, the Old South Meeting House was used to facilitate public meetings and free-speech events.
Interesting Facts
- On January 6, 1706, Benjamin Franklin was baptized at the Old South Church (where the current 1729 structure now stands). He and his family lived just across the street at the time
- The steeple of the Old South Meeting House is 183 feet tall and displays a clock that was installed in 1770
- In 1873, the John Hancock Mansion was demolished, which led to a preservation movement in Boston and subsequently, the preservation of the Old South Meeting House (thanks to the efforts of many women in Boston and other well-known individuals such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Julia Ward Howe, and Louisa May Alcott)
Our Visit & Recommendations
The Old South Meeting House (310 Washington Street) is one of the stops on the Freedom Trail that I was most excited to see. It is wild to think about the incredible orators that graced the pulpit- Joseph Warren, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams to name a few- and the historic events that took place within its walls (heck, even George Washington had visited there!). Today, the Old South Meeting House serves as a public museum and tickets can be purchased just inside the main entrance. If desired, you can purchase a two-site admission ticket to visit both the Old South Meeting House and the Old State House.
Tickets to the Old South Meeting House allow you to access and walk around the ground floor of the commodious building (you are not able to go up into the balcony- I was sure to ask). This includes a fantastic series of displays, timelines, and artifacts that are worth taking the time to explore.
Some of unique artifacts on display include a 1746 sermon by Reverend Thomas Prince, which gives thanks for the British victory at the Battle of Culloden against Scottish forces under Bonnie Prince Charlie, and a British horse shoe that was found under the floor during a renovation (a remnant of the British riding stable).
It was neat to wander around the space and amidst the box pews, one of which is furnished with 18th century items. As you walk about, be sure to admire the detailed architecture and design of the ornate interior (to include a beautiful gold clock from the 19th-century) and talk with the museum staff, who are all extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the Old South Meeting House.
One fascinating part of the building is located along the edge of the balcony, which is an inscription explaining General George Washington’s visit to the Old South Meeting House. It reads:
During the occupation of Boston by the British, this Meeting House was used by the Queen’s Light Dragoons as a Riding School. Soon after the evacuation WASHINGTON, looking down from this gallery on the wreck which the British had left, reverently expressed surprise that those who venerated their own churches should have desecrated ours.”
It is amazing to stand in the center of that historic room and imagine thousands of anxious colonists and perhaps a few British soldiers listening to the emotional and energetic appeals of orators such as Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. We spent quite a bit of time wandering around the Old South Meeting House, visiting each corner and walking all the aisles to really get a sense of Boston’s (once) largest building. Although the interior has been renovated and changed many times over the years, the revolutionary spirit of the space remains and can be felt to this day.
Source: https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/osmh.htm