Final Project Part 1: Old State House

Old State House (OSH):

The Old State House is one of the main staples of the Freedom Trail, and is a very popular tourist attraction. It is a Revolutionary War museum. The Old State House was erected in 1713, and served as the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. Prior to that, OSH The Bostonian Society formed in 1881 in order to save the Old State House from being demolished by the city of Boston. The building has undergone renovations due to a fire in 1747, and from building decay. The main renovations were enacted by George A. Clough in 1881-1882. The MBTA State Street station is under the building, and was constructed there in 1904.

The Bostonian Society’s mission statement is:

“The Bostonian Society is dedicated to studying, and preserving Boston’s uniquely important history, embodied in materials, records, and structures such as the Old State House, and in sharing an understanding of the revolutionary ideas born here.”

Many important historical events involving the American Revolution. happened in and around OSH. James Otis argued against the Writs of Assistance in 1761 in the Council Chamber. The biggest event involving OSH was the Boston Massacre on March 5^th, 1770, which happened right in front of the building. The Declaration of Independence was read aloud from the balcony by Col. Thomas Crafts on July 18^th, 1776. Every year, reenactments are done on or around the anniversaries to commemorate the Boston Massacre and the reading of the Declaration of Independence on the balcony. This year’s reenactment of the Boston Massacre coincided with the actual anniversary, which was very popular and fun. That day, there were also two reenactments of the trial against the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.

The museum itself consists of three floors. The first main floor contains the museum gift shop, where I work, and a gallery. General admission to the museum is $10, with certain discounts available to students, seniors, kids, and military. Once one pays admission, they are given a “character card” which is something they have to wear during their journey through the museum. The “character” is a real person who was alive during the American Revolution, for example Paul Revere or Samuel Adams. A picture and description is provided, as well as indication for whether that person was a Loyalist or Patriot. On the back of the card are other facts about the individual, and their involvement in the American Revolution.

(John Hancock's Coat)

Once in the galleries, there are several informational exhibits and displays for a guest to look at.

The exhibits all give information of the events leading up to, during, and after the Revolutionary War, with a focus on the Old State House’s and Boston’s involvement. The main exhibit in the gallery is John Hancock’s coat, which you can see in the picture above. Throughout the gallery, the exhibits pose questions relating to the guest’s “character card”. Most of the questions ask the guest to think about how their “character” would feel about a certain event being explained in the display.

Once a guest is done with the small gallery, there are stairs that lead to the second floor. On the second floor there are three interactive rooms, “Hands on History”, designed for children. One room has a timeline on the wall, with bottles of different scents to commemorate certain events on the timeline, like a birthday cake smell to represent the date of OSH’s 300-year anniversary. There are also two rooms that have been set up to replicate what these rooms would have looked like back in the 1700’s. One is the Council Chamber, and the other is Representatives Hall. Both rooms have portraits, as well as some exhibits, like the Bull Wedding Gown.A guest can also go downstairs to the basement to use the restroom or see the timeline of the renovations done to the building.

(Council Chamber)

Included with admission is the opportunity to go on guided tours throughout the day. These “tours” are led by our Education Assistants. The “tours”, which are more like guided talks about topics, are done every half hour. The two offered during “off-season” are the Old State House tour and the Boston Massacre tour. The Old State House tour is a 25-minute talk about the history of the building, and all the changes it has gone through. The Boston Massacre tour gives the guest an overview of the Boston Massacre, and during the summer, the Education Assistants actually bring their tours outside to where the Boston Massacre actually occurred. Also during the summer, Revolutionary Characters Live is offered, which is a 25-minute talk with an actor who portrays a person from the American Revolution time period, like Sarah Hutchinson, the daughter of the MA governor Thomas Hutchinson.