abertone@revolutionaryspaces.org

Constructed in 1713, the Old State House was the center of royal government in Massachusetts Bay Colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution’s most dramatic events, including the Boston Massacre. In 1879 a group of determined citizens formed the Boston Antiquarian Club to preserve and steward the Old State House. Two years later, the Boston Antiquarian Club reorganized as the Bostonian Society and created a museum of Boston’s history inside the Old State House. 

 

Built in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was one of the largest buildings in colonial Boston, making it an ideal location for some of the most important mass meetings prior to the American Revolution, such as the debates leading to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. In 1877 the Old South Meeting House was saved from demolition by the Old South Association and opened to the public as a museum and meeting place. 

 

In 2020, the Bostonian Society and the Old South Association merged to form Revolutionary Spaces. Revolutionary Spaces stewards the historic Old South Meeting House and Old State House as landmarks, museums, and gathering spaces for the open exchange of ideas and the continuing practice of democracy. Viewing history as a powerful tool for today, Revolutionary Spaces brings people together to explore the American struggle to create and sustain a free society.