What Is the Old South Meetinghouse?
Formerly a church, the Old South Meetinghouse (the counterpoint to the Old North Church), was a church that became a hotbed of revolutionary meetings in the mid 1700s!
What Makes It Historical?
Originally, this was just supposed to be an expansion of Boston’s Third Church (founded 1669), designed by Robert Twelves and built by master mason, Joshua Blanchard in Early Georgian style! It opened on April 26, 1730! Mr. Blanchard was also responsible for building nearby Faneuil Hall, but when that structure was damaged by a fire, they spilled into this Meetinghouse starting in 1761! In this church, a number of important meetings took place. In 1768, James Otis compelled Governor Bernard to remove a warship from Boston Harbor, and a session here in 1770 led to the British withdrawing from Boston after the Boston Massacre! But most famously, on December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty reached their tipping point in an assembly here and struck the British with the Boston Tea Party!
The Brits paid the church back in kind during their occupation of Boston. Starting in 1775, General Burgoyne ordered all the interior decorations and pews removed to be used as firewood, and the Meetinghouse became a riding school for the British cavalry! It got restored in 1783 and remained an active church well into the 1860s, but by then, most of the congregation had moved elsewhere. This historic building survived the Great Boston Fire of 1873 but faced demolition in 1876! It was through the efforts of George W. Simmons, Wendell Phillips, and Harriet Hemenway (founder of the Massachusetts Audubon Society), that it was saved, and has served as a museum and speaker space ever since!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Become a member of Revolutionary Spaces!
- Donate to the Freedom Trail!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
310 Washington St
Boston, MA 02108
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The Old South Meetinghouse is open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM!
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