Boston's Historic Old South Meeting House

By the time colonial residents of Massachusetts met in Boston to protest the British tax on tea, the Old South Meeting House where the protesters gathered had already been the center of community life in the city for almost a half century. But on that night in 1773, the Old South Meeting House's place in American history was secured forever.

Built in 1729 to replace a 60-year old Puritan meeting house that had become too small to house the growing congregation, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in the city of Boston. It often housed meetings too large for Boston's official town hall, the nearby Faneuil Hall. It was here that residents gathered the day after the "Boston Massacre" in 1770, demanding that charges be brought against British troops involved in the shooting. For the next five years, raucous meetings were held at the Old South Meeting House to mark the anniversary of the incident, which had taken place just steps away.

"Old South" remained a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. Residents of Boston were becoming increasingly upset with British policies and taxes, and in December 1773, over five thousand people gathered at the Old South Meeting House for a heated meeting over a controversial tax on tea. Impassioned speakers - on both sides - made their case as to how the citizens of Boston should react. When no clear consensus could be reached, Samuel Adams signaled a group called the Sons of Liberty, who proceeded to the waterfront and the infamous Boston Tea Party.

When war finally came and the British occupied Boston, they showed their contempt for the Old South Meeting House's reputation as the center of revolutionary spirit by turning the house of worship into a horse jumping arena. They tore out and burned the pews and pulpit and filled the hall with dirt.

After the Revolution, Old South Meeting House remained a church with an active congregation for nearly 100 years. When worshippers decided to build a new church in the Copley Square section of Boston, the building was auctioned off and slated for demolition in 1876. A local citizens group raised funds to buy and restore the landmark, however, and re-opened it a year later as a museum and educational center.

Today, more than 270 years after it opened, and well over a century since its second life began, the Old South Meeting House remains a monument to free speech. From the dangerous calls for American independence in the 18^th century to the abolitionist cause of the 19^th century and the commitment to being a platform for the expression of controversial - even radical - thought in the 20^th century, the Old South Meeting House has held a unique place in American history.

Located at the corner of Washington and Milk Streets in downtown Boston, the Old South Meeting House museum is open daily for a nominal fee. Exhibits include "Voices of Protest" describing Old South's long tradition, as well as an audio recreation of great moments in the buildings history entitled "If These Walls Could Talk."