Public art, shows, collections and stories that delight every time you visit.
Enter Boston’s Old South Meeting House and Old State House – the two most iconic sites on the Freedom Trail. We view history as a powerful tool to understand our present and build work toward a more just and equitable future.
Exhibits
- Framing Mass Killings
Exploring how the words we use to describe mass killings in American history affect whether and how we remember them.Read more → - Polly Sumner Doll: Conventional & Controversial Cargo
Books, dolls, and other goods that connected Boston to the wider world were also on board the merchant ships carrying the tea that was destroyed on December 16, 1773.Read more → - Gallery Talks
Join Revolutionary Spaces staff for brief gallery talks highlighting the key stories and themes in each of our gallery spaces.Read more → - The Humble Petitioner
In Colonial America, those without the right to vote were forced to pursue other avenues to have their voices heard.Read more → - Council Chamber
Once an exclusive space for the most powerful men in Massachusetts, now all are invited to connect to our nation’s history in this meticulously-restored 18th-century room.Read more → - Voices of Protest
Discover compelling people who made a difference at Old South Meeting House and the history of protest and free speech that continues to this day.Read more → - The Main Hall at Old South
The largest meeting space colonial Boston, this room was host to thousands of people leading to the Boston Tea Party, and has been a steadfast haven for free speech for almost three centuries.Read more → - Colony to Commonwealth
Your first stop in Boston! See how Massachusetts and its residents played a pivotal role in the birth of America.Read more → - Hands on History
For young visitors and the young at heart, there’s no better way to understand history than to reach out and touch it at the Old State House.Read more → - Unfinished Business Film Series
A film series exploring the legacy of protest, representation, and revolution embodied in our historical sites.Read more → - 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 →
Tours
- Massacre and Memory Tour
A half-mile guided walking tour that illuminates the circumstances and events that led to the Boston Massacre.Read more → - Beyond the Revolution Tour
There’s so much more to our Revolutionary story. Learn about Boston’s most historic moments from its founding to the present.Read more → - Gallery TalksJoin Revolutionary Spaces staff for brief gallery talks highlighting the key stories and themes in each of our gallery spaces.Read more →
Upcoming Events
- Massacre and Memory TourA half-mile guided walking tour that illuminates the circumstances and events that led to the Boston Massacre.Read more →
- Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution
JUNE 9: Join Revolutionary Spaces for the launch of Eli Merritt’s new eye-opening book.Read more → - Benjamin Franklin, Rattlesnakes, & Pepe the Frog
JUNE 29: Join us for a conversation with Dr. Joan Donovan on her new book, “Meme Wars: The Untold Story of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America.”Read more →
Online Exhibits
- Reflecting AttucksA 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 →
- Imagining the Age of Phillis
A short film series directed by John Oluwole ADEkoje that brings a selection of the poems from Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’s book to life.Read more → - Unfinished Business Film SeriesA film series exploring the legacy of protest, representation, and revolution embodied in our historical sites.Read more →
- Heard
“Heard” explores questions of colonial government, community, and prejudice through the lens of the colonial to the contemporary deaf community.Read more → - Essential Questions Discussion Series
In-person and virtual discussions that confront key issues that sit at the heart of the American experiment in self-government.Read more → - Our Collections
Search our online catalog to learn more about the objects, books, and documents in our collections.Read more →
Past Event Videos
- William Apess’s Eulogy on King Philip
APR 28: Celebrate the legacy of both Apess and Metacom and commemorate the ideals for which they fought—ideals that were not so different from those that Americans fought for in 1775.Read more → - A Potent Force: A Material Memory Program
MAR 14: Join us as we unearth a treasure from our expansive collection, the iconic Liberty Tree Flag, and explore the great American tradition of protest.Read more → - Political Violence: From the Boston Massacre to Today
VIDEO: Hear from poets and storytellers who will speak to their personal experiences with the reverberations of violence by the state.Read more → - The Boston Tea Party in History
JAN 10: Moderated by Revolutionary Spaces President & CEO Nat Sheidley, acclaimed historians will explore how the events preceding the Boston Tea Party led to this historic occasion.Read more → - Piracy and Liberty by the Sea
SEP 19: Join three swashbuckling experts on the struggle for freedom and equality in the pirate and maritime community. Eyepatches optional, registration is not.Read more → - We Were Always Here
Join two esteemed professors to uncover the legacies of LGBTQ+ Colonial Americans and learn what life was like for those lived outside the gender and sexual norms of early America.Read more → - Cry Havoc! Legislative Violence in America
VIDEO: Explore an iconic artifact from the Revolutionary Spaces’ collection and the legacy of what this American relic symbolizes: violence perpetrated in the hallowed halls of Congress.Read more → - Unfinished Business Film SeriesA film series exploring the legacy of protest, representation, and revolution embodied in our historical sites.Read more →
- Joseph Warren, Medicine, and Activism
VIDEO: Explore the intersection of activism and medicine in this timely virtual panel discussion with scholars and doctors.Read more →
Education Programs
- Revolution is Brewing: Immersive Roleplaying Game
A 90-minute immersive experience for students grade 8 and up developed in partnership with the award-winning education game designers Gigantic Mechanic.Read more → - Education Tours
Visit the Old State House and Old South Meeting House with a friendly and knowledgeable guide, or explore at your own pace.Read more → - Spy Quest
A FREE scavenger hunt activity for ages 8 and up available during regular hours at both Old State House and Old South Meeting House.Read more →