Existing comment:
Old South Meeting Hall
Museum and Historic Site
Built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house, Benjamin Franklin was baptized here. Phillis Wheatley, the first African-American author, worshiped here.
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, colonists gathered here to challenge British rule. On December 16, 1773, more than 5,000 colonists met here to protest the tax on tea, and heard Samuel Adams give the signal that started the Boston Tea Party.
In 1876, Bostonians fought to save this building from the wrecking ball, the first successful historic preservation effort in New England.
In the early 20th century, this building provided a forum for public debate and opened its doors to controversial speakers who were denied a platform elsewhere.
Today, the Old South Meeting House lives on as an active meeting place and museum, providing a unique historic location for the sharing of ideas. |