Also known as
Boston's "Towne House", the Old State House dates back to 1713 and is considered to be Boston's oldest public building. It was the center of all political life and debate in colonial Boston. On July 18, 1776, citizens gathered in the street to hear the Declaration of Independence read from the building's balcony, the first public reading in Massachusetts. In 1780, John Hancock was inaugurated here as the first governor of the commonwealth. Today, the building houses a Boston history museum.
