Revolutionary Spaces connects people to the history and continuing practice of democracy through the interwoven stories of Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House.
What’s On
- Reflecting Attucks
A virtual exhibit that examines the memory of Crispus Attucks, a man of African & Native descent who was the first to die in the Boston Massacre.Read more →
Boston Reconsidered Blog
- Transforming Rep Hall
At the end of 2019, as we geared up to change exhibits in Representatives Hall in the Old State House, we noticed a fair amount of cosmetic updates that needed to be made. We thought we were in for some paint touch-ups, minor plaster work, and a good cleaning. Once our preservation team took a ...Read more → - #StandWithMashpee
Revolutionary Spaces Stands With Mashpee On behalf of Revolutionary Spaces, we hereby express our organization’s undivided support for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe in their struggle to preserve in federal trust the ancestral lands of the Mashpee people. Revolutionary Spaces cares for Boston’s Old State House and Old South Meeting House and is dedicated to bringing people together ...Read more → - Get to Know Our Preservation Team
May is Preservation Month! Even in these times of physical distancing, our preservation team often visits the Old State House and Old South Meeting House to ensure proper care of our historic sites. Along the way, they always stick to physical distancing guidelines, working more than 6’ away from others, and wearing masks anytime they ...Read more → - Poetry in the Time of Corona
Recently, a small group of us gathered to hear Charles Coe perform poetry, exploring memory, life, and loss. Watch as Charles reads two of his original poems, “Love in the Time of Corona” and “Something in the Wind.” LOVE IN THE TIME OF CORONA (with apologies to Gabriel García Márquez) by Charles Coe In ancient Greece, men shook hands as ...Read more → - How the 18th Century (Actually) Responded to Illness
This post is written in response to “How the 18th Century Responded to Illness Before Netflix and Zoom,” published on April 6, 2020. Last week, we published a blog post describing how six prominent 18th-century Bostonians lived and dealt with illness in their lives. This piece drew on previous research for the “character cards” we use ...Read more → - Resilience at Old South Meeting House
Every day that we adapt our lives to stay inside and protect each other or go back on the front lines as an essential worker in this epidemic, we show our capacity for resilience. While this current moment feels unprecedented, Bostonians have been through crises before, building resilience along the way, together. Like all of us, ...Read more → - How the 18th Century Responded to Illness Before Netflix and Zoom
In these uncertain times, we’ve been reflecting on how the founding generation lived and dealt with illness, just as we’re all doing today. We took a look at how six prominent Bostonians managed illness in their lives before the times of widespread vaccines and constant social media updates. Read on to learn more about Dr. ...Read more → - FROM THE BOSTON MASSACRE TO BLACK LIVES MATTER
Over the almost 250 years since his death, Crispus Attucks has remained a symbol for various movements advocating for African American rights, from Abolitionism to the Civil Rights Movement. 21st Century movements have been no different. Attucks’s identity has been yet again recovered by the grassroots Black Lives Matter movement.Read more → - AMERICA’S BICENTENNIAL
On October 17, 1976, to mark the bicentennial, the Boston Equal Rights League and the City of Boston held a ceremony in honor of Crispus Attucks, whom many considered an African American patriot and the first martyr of the American Revolution.Read more →
