Boston- Old South Meeting House

The Old South Meeting House, located on 310 Washington Street, began its illustrious career as a Puritan house of worship. In the year 1729 when it was built, it was the largest building ever constructed in the city of Boston in Massachusetts. In fact, its size is the main reason that the town meetings were switched over to it from Faneuil Hall when their gatherings became larger than Faneuil Hall could accommodate. Today, it remains the second oldest church in Boston.

When most people who are interested in history hear the mention of the Old South Meeting House, they are immediately brought back to another time with a much different purpose. The year was 1773, the day was the sixteenth of December, and the topic of discussion was the British tax on tea. More than 5,000 colonists had gathered together to protest the tax on tea and to await news concerning the fate of three shipments of tea. The meeting was noisy and intense.

When this large and anxious crowd of settlers received word that the ships would not be returned to England, the Boston Tea Party took place. Such a tea party as never before! The settlers dumped the tea into the Boston Harbor and changed American history as it catapulted the colonists into the Revolutionary War.

Today, debates on the fate of the tea shipments are recreated for the amusement of all who come to see them. Additionally, this building remains a gathering place for free speech and discussion of events.

Sadly, very little of the original interior remains today except for the windows, doors, and the tiered galleries that sit above the main floor. The British troops ripped out all of the pews in the 1770s so that they could use the building for riding exercises for the British dragoons. In 1872, the Great Fire nearly destroyed it, but it escaped harm. A reproduction of the pulpit sits inside the church.

A small entrance fee is charged with pricing for children, adults, and seniors. The building is handicap accessible. A museum shop showcases interesting souvenirs.

The Old South Meeting House is open daily between the months of April and October from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm. Between the months of November and March, the building is open Monday through Fridays from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm and between the hours of 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.