Old South Meeting House
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Marker Inscription
Old South Meeting House has been designated a registered national historic landmark Under the provisions of the historic sites act of August 21, 1935 this site possesses exceptional value in commemorating and illustrating the history of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior National Parks Service 1964
Erected by 310 Washington Street
The Story
This plaque designates the Old South Meeting House, built in 1729, as a National Historic Landmark. As Boston's largest colonial building, it hosted the fiery mass meetings that preceded the Revolution — most famously the gathering on December 16, 1773, from which colonists marched to dump British tea into the harbor. The designation was made under the Historic Sites Act of 1935.
Why it matters
Old South Meeting House was a cradle of American free speech and protest, where public debate helped ignite the Revolution.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Griffin Museum at Digital Silver Imaging5.7 mi away
- Edmund Fowle House6.3 mi away · 26;28 Marshall Street, Watertown, MA
- Cyrus Dallin Art Museum6.3 mi away · 611 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA
- Drive By Projects6.3 mi away · 81 Spring Street, Watertown, MA
- Smith Museum Archives6.5 mi away · 5;7 Jason Terrace, MA
- Jason Russell House6.5 mi away · 7 Jason Street, Arlington, MA
Attractions
- Harvard Square3.3 mi away
- 1899 MIT Observatory site6.0 mi away
- Heartbreak Hill (Top/End)6.3 mi away
- Arlington Center Historic District6.5 mi away
- Central Street Historical District6.5 mi away
- Pickerel Rock6.7 mi away
Food & drink
- Lexington House of Pizza9.6 mi away
- Dunkin'10.4 mi away · 10 Woburn Street, Lexington, MA
- Formosa Taipei10.5 mi away
- Bruegger's Bagels10.5 mi away
- Spirit of India10.5 mi away
- Clay Oven10.5 mi away · 1666 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA
Places to stay
- Homewood Suites5.0 mi away · 1 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA
- The Lodge at Brandeis10.4 mi away
- Hilton Garden Inn10.4 mi away · 450 Totten Pond Road, Waltham, MA
- Extended Stay America10.5 mi away · 52 Fourth Avenue
- Extended Stay America10.5 mi away · 32 Fourth Avenue
- Best Western10.5 mi away · 380 Winter Street
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related events
- · Boston Tea Party
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Paul Revere Memorial Tablet
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This tablet, placed by the Paul Revere Memorial Association, marks the 1908 opening of Revere's old house on North Square to the public. Dedicated on April 19 — the anniversary of the fighting at Lexington and Concord — it was meant to inspire visitors, and especially the young, with the patriot's example. The house is among the oldest surviving buildings in downtown Boston.
Paul Revere
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The Granary Burying Ground, established in 1660, is one of Boston's oldest cemeteries and the resting place of some of its most famous citizens. Among those interred here are the victims of the 1770 Boston Massacre, the parents of Benjamin Franklin, the merchant Peter Faneuil, the patriot Paul Revere, and John Phillips, the first mayor of Boston. It sits along what is now the Freedom Trail.
Granary Burying Ground — Signers & Statesmen
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This tablet at the Granary Burying Ground, founded in 1660, names some of the notable Americans buried within. They include three signers of the Declaration of Independence — John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Robert Treat Paine — alongside colonial and early-republic governors, jurists such as Samuel Sewall, and prominent ministers. It is one of the most visited stops on Boston's Freedom Trail.
Benjamin Franklin and James Franklin
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Here, beginning in 1719, James Franklin ran the printing office of the New England Courant, one of colonial America's boldest and most independent newspapers. His younger brother Benjamin Franklin served here as an apprentice, learning the printing trade that would help make him famous. Later, from 1769 to 1776, Edes and Gill published the Boston Gazette on this spot — a fiercely patriotic paper that helped fan the flames of revolution.