Boston is one of our richest cities in things historical. One of the most famous of these is the Old State House. In some ways, it is the most interesting of all buildings in the United States. Its chief interest lies in the fact that our independence here had its birth. On the ground which it occupies the first town house in this country was built, in 1657. The Old State House was built in 1748. Inside you can see the Council Chamber where the Royal Governors of the Massachusetts Province, together with there council sat. In front of it, within a few feet of the east porch, the Boston Massacre took place on the 5th day of March, 1770. The act aroused the anger of the people in all the Colonies. The day following, Samuel Adams appeared before the Council in this building and demanded that the British troops be removed from Boston. They were removed. It was the custom of the Governors of the Province to read from the balcony of this building the proclamations of the King. When the news of the Declaration of Independence was received at Boston, it was proclaimed from this same balcony. There was a banquet in the Council Chamber following the reading of the Declaration. From the Old State House, in 1789, Washington reviewed a procession in his honor the last time he visited Boston. The building has figured, too, in our later history. You will recall that the agitation against slavery came first from New England. William Lloyd Garrison was one of the prominent leaders in the movement. Most of the people were against Garrison and his small band. In 1835, after he had made a fiery speech demanding the freedom of the slaves, a mob tried to catch him. He fled for refuge into the Old State House. Keystone ID: 11687 Note: All titles, descriptions, and location coordinates are from the original Keystone Slide documentation as supplied by the Keystone View Company. No text has been edited or changed.