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Old South Meeting House

The Foods of the Freedom Trail walking tour will introduce you to so much more than the culinary pleasures of traditional Boston and New England fare. On your Boston walking tour you will also have a chance to learn about some of the most historical landmarks the city has to offer along the famous Freedom Trail.

One of these enduring landmarks is the Old South Meeting House in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston just east of Boston Common. The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 as a Puritan House of Worship and Meeting House to accommodate a growing congregation which at one time included such famous names as Samuel Adams and Benjamin Franklin.

The Old South Meeting House is most famous as the organization place of the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773 5,000 people gathered here to debate what to do about three shiploads of taxed tea. This was the only structure in Boston that could accommodate so many people.

Meetings were routinely held here between 1770 and 1775 until the British occupied the building in 1775 and had it completely gutted. They filled it with dirt and used it for horse riding practice. The building survived but was almost destroyed again in 1872 when the Great Boston Fire destroyed much of Downtown Boston. The Meeting House was saved at the last minute by a fire engine from Portsmouth, NH but eventually a new church had to be built anyway as much of the congregation had moved away from the area as a result of the fire.

These days the Old South Meeting House contains a museum where visitors can see reenactments of the old Tea Party debates but it is still used as a church and meeting house when once a year, members of the congregation meet there for services. If you would like to learn more about the Old South Meeting House after your Boston walking tour the museum offers tours and reenactment performances throughout the year.