The Old State House in Boston

This is a quick drawing of the Old State House in Boston. I drew it with ink, but turned it into a negative on the computer because this reminds me of some old historical prints.

Yesterday I mentioned the Massachusetts State House near Beacon Hill, which was built after the American Revolution. This building, on the other hand, located at the corner of State and Washington streets downtown, was the centre of Bostonian public life and was the scene of some of the more dramatic moments of the pre-revolutionary period.

While Boston was still a British colony, within the walls of this house, the men who would go on to eventually become the founders of the United States of America, debated the future of the colonies (John Hancock and John Adams, to name but two). Just outside its walls, about where the bus is, five civilians were killed by British soldiers in 1770 in what would become known as the "Boston Massacre." The incident and its aftermath would be one of the sparks that led to the Revolution.

The Declaration of Independence was read aloud a few years later to the citizens of Boston from the balcony where the flag pole stretches out.

Notes:
1. Click here to see a photograph of the State House from approximately the same position.
2. Read the Bostonian Society's web page about the State House Museum.
3. If you'd like an overview of the Massacre, see this article, with the famous Paul Revere engraving.

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