Old South Meeting House
From the meeting of more than 5,000 colonists on December 16, 1773, which started the Boston Tea Party, to the present, the Old South Meeting House has been the site of spirited debates affecting the fate of the community, the state of Massachusetts, and the nation.
Built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house, members of the congregation have included African - American poet Phillis Wheatley and patriot leader Samuel Adams. As the largest building in colonial Boston, Old South Meeting House was the site of lively public meetings, as well as a place for religious services. In the years leading to the American Revolution, colonists gathered at the Meeting House to challenge British rule.
Following the Boston Massacre in 1770, a crowd of several thousand people led by Samuel Adams assembled at Old South to protest British troops in town. Each year from 1771 to 1775, large meetings were held at Old South to commemorate the Massacre, with rousing speeches by patriots such as John Hancock and Dr. Joseph Warren.
Yet it was the meeting that took place on December 16, 1773, that sealed Old South's fate as one of this country's most significant buildings. On that day, over 5,000 men crowded into Old South and joined in a fiery debate on the controversial tea tax. When the final attempt at compromise failed, Samuel Adams gave the signal that started the Boston Tea Party. The Sons of Liberty led the way dumping 342 chests of tea into the harbor at Griffin's Wharf.
To punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party, British soldiers used Old South as a riding school during the Revolution. The British soldiers ripped out the pews and pulpit and used them for firewood.
Restored after the Revolution, Old South Meeting House remained an active church until 1872. Threatened with demolition, a determined group of local activists saved the building from the wrecker's ball and established the museum in 1877. Rousing speeches by abolitionist Wendell Phillips moved audiences to pledge the funds needed to save this historic landmark. It was the very first time that a public building was saved because of its association with nationally important historical events.
In the early twentieth century, Old South Meeting House provided a forum for public debate and opened its doors to controversial speakers denied a platform elsewhere. Since the orations of the colonial era 250 years ago, Old South Meeting House has been in continuous use as a community meeting place.
Today this museum and historic site is a gathering place for discussion and celebration, and a living symbol of our country's quest for freedom and justice. Old South Meeting House is an inspiring National Historic Landmark that is an important resource for more than 85,000 children, parents, teachers, visitors, and citizens each year.
