Landscape Information
Located in downtown Boston, the Old State House was built as the Second Town House in 1713, having possibly been designed by architect Robert Twelves. Constructed to house government offices, it stands on the site of Boston’s first Town House which was destroyed by fire in 1711. The Old State House was the center of civic, political, and business life in Colonial America. It is also the site of the Boston Massacre (1770), which occurred just outside the building.
The Town House became the State House in 1780. In 1832 the building was once again damaged by fire. The Bostonian Society was formed to preserve the Old State House in 1881, the same year that year architect George Clough led the a year-long restoration effort. The building was again restored by architect Joseph Chandler in 1907.
The Old State House houses a museum dedicated to the Boston's role in the revolutionary war. A cobblestone and brass marker with a star-shaped center stone memorializes the Boston Massacre outside the building. Still managed by The Bostonian Society, the building is one of eight sites within the Boston National Historical Park and one of seventeen stops along the Freedom Trail. The Old State House was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
