The Old State House stands in the location of the original Town House. Built in 1658, it was the center of colonial life. The government utilized the building as well as merchants. The building is the oldest surviving public building in Boston, even though it is not in its original form and has had many changes. First off, the building has faced numerous destructive fires. First in 1711, fire destroyed the building. The fire engulfed a large part of the downtown Boston area, destroying over a hundred buildings and leaving more than a hundred families homeless. It is unclear how the fire started though. Some say it started at a tavern, while Governor Hutchinson claimed some old Irish lady accidentally started the fire. After this fire, regulations changed. Builders used bricks instead of wood and city officials created fire districts. The Puritans of the town believed that it was an angry message from God, due to the improper behavior of the citizens of Boston.

Because the building held such importance to the city, officials moved to have it rebuilt immediately. The construction costs were divided between the province, town, and county. The 1713 building remained the center of colonial life. Sadly, the building faced numerous more threats from fire. In 1747, a fire destroyed the interior and the roof. Fortunately, the walls remained (remain today). The interior was constructed to resemble the 1713 building. The building was later damaged by fire in 1832 and 1921, only incurring minor damages. The building is still a focal point of downtown Boston, but it stopped housing the government in 1798 when the officials moved to the newly constructed State House on Beacon Hill. The building became a museum in 1882 and still operates as a place to educate visitors on Boston’s past. 

By: Jessica McKenzie 

Credits and Sources:

Boston Fire Historical Society. “Boston History Before 1859.” Boston Fire Historical Society. Accessed September 15, 2016. http://bostonfirehistory.org/boston-history-before-1859/

Boston Landmarks Commission. “The Old State House.” City of Boston November 7, 1994. Accessed September 15, 2016. https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Old%20State%20House%20-%20Study%20Report%20Amended%20175.A_tcm3-45870.pdf

National Fire Protection Agency. “The Protection of Historic Public Buildings: The Old State House, Boston.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association15, no. 2.(October 1921): 113-119. 

Pope, Justin. “Boston’s Old State House Documents City’s Fire History.” Reading Eagle May 21, 2000. Accessed September 15, 2016. https://news.google.com/newspapers nid=1955&dat=20000521&id=iPohAAAAIBAJ&sjid=X6MFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1182,2211918&hl=en

The Bostonian Society. “History of the Old State House.” The Bostonian Society. Accessed September 15, 2016. http://www.bostonhistory.org/history/

O’Connor, Thomas H. Boston: A to Z. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.