Old South Meeting House | |
 The Old South Meeting House, 2023 | |
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| Location | Corner of Washington and Milk Streets Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°21′25″N71°3′31″W / 42.35694°N 71.05861°W /42.35694; -71.05861 |
| Built | 1729 |
| Architect | Twelves, Robert |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Part of | Boston National Historical Park[2] (ID74002222[3]) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000778[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
| Designated CP | October 26, 1974[3] |
TheOld South Meeting House is a historicCongregational church building located at the corner ofMilk andWashington Streets in theDowntown Crossing area ofBoston, Massachusetts, built in 1729. It gained fame as the organizing point for theBoston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. Approximately 5,000[4] to 7,000[5] gathered at the Meeting House, the largest building in Boston at the time.
Themeeting house or church was completed in 1729, with its 56m (183ft) steeple. The congregation was gathered in 1669 when it broke off fromFirst Church of Boston, aCongregational church founded byJohn Winthrop in 1630. The site was a gift of Mrs. Norton, widow ofJohn Norton, pastor of theFirst Church in Boston.[6] The church's first pastor was Rev.Thomas Thacher, a native ofSalisbury, England. Thacher was also a physician and is known for publishing the first medical pamphlet in Massachusetts.[7]
After theBoston Massacre in 1770, yearly anniversary meetings were held at the church until at least 1784, featuring speakers such asJohn Hancock andDr. Joseph Warren. In 1773, a capacity crowd met in the Meeting House to debate British taxation and, after the meeting, a group raided three tea ships docked at Griffin's Wharf in what became known as theBoston Tea Party.
In October 1775, led byLt Col Samuel Birch of the 17th Dragoons, the British occupied the Meeting House due to its association with the Revolutionary cause. They gutted the building, filled it with dirt, and then used the interior to practice horse riding. They destroyed much of the interior and stole various items, includingWilliam Bradford'sOf Plymouth Plantation (1620), a unique Pilgrim manuscript hidden in Old South's tower. After the British evacuated Boston, the plan for rebuilding the interior of the church was drawn byThomas Dawes.[8]
Old South Meeting House was almost destroyed in theGreat Boston Fire of 1872. As the fire approached the historic structure, Boston firefighting crews, understanding the importance of the building to the history of Boston and the nation, staged a massive effort to protect it. Aided by the arrival of fire companies from across New England, the firefighters took heroic measures to extinguish the flames after a twelve-hour battle, saving Old South and stopping the fire before it reached other historic buildings and residential neighborhoods. As the city rebuilt, the congregation sought out a quieter neighborhood, away from the bustling commercial area near OSMH. The congregation built a new church building (the "New"Old South Church in the Back Bay, atCopley Square), which remains its home to this day. In 1877, a group of twenty women, including the philanthropist Mary Hemenway (who used $100,000 of her own funds) andMary Tyler (allegedly the inspiration for the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb"),[9] raised money and helped pass legislation to preserve and save the Meeting House. By 1910, preservation work was transferred to the Old South Association through aid from the Mary Hemenway Foundation. The Old South congregation returns to Old South Meeting House for services in its ancestral home once a year, on the Sunday beforeThanksgiving.
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Old South Meeting House has been an important gathering place for nearly three centuries. Renowned for the protest meetings held here before the American Revolution when the building was termed amouth-house, thisNational Historic Landmark has long served as a platform for the free expression of ideas. Today, the Old South Meeting House is open daily as a museum and continues to provide a place for people to meet, discuss and act on important issues of the day. The stories of the men and women who are part of Old South's vital heritage reveal why the Old South Meeting House occupies an enduring place in the history of the United States.
The museum and historic site is located at the intersection ofWashington andMilk Streets and can be visited for a fee. It is located near theState Street,Downtown Crossing andPark StreetMBTA (subway) stations.
The Old South Meeting House is claimed to be the second oldest establishment existent in the United States. It is currently under consideration for local landmark status by theBoston Landmarks Commission.[27]
In 2020 the former caretaker of Old South Meeting House (the Old South Association in Boston) merged withthe Bostonian Society, forming Revolutionary Spaces, which now manages both Old South Meeting House and theOld State House.[28]
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On December 16, the day before customs officials were entitled to seize the cargo and land it themselves, an estimated 5,000 people traveled through a cold, steady rain to gather at the Old South Meeting House. (The entire population of Boston at the time was only about 16,000, children included.)
| Preceded by | Locations along Boston'sFreedom Trail Old South Meeting House | Succeeded by |
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