From the "History is Just Around the Corner" Video Series - Episode 1
Since the 1773 mass protest meetings that led up to the
Boston Tea Party, Old South Meeting House has served as a gathering place for discussion and celebration and a haven for free speech.
Transcript
Speaking: Robin Deblosi, Old South Meeting House Director of Marketing and Special Events
Caption text provided by Google/Youtube “Automatic Captions”*
0:00:33
- built in 1729 old south meeting house is boston's national historic landmark where liberty found her allies and the american revolution got its voice.
0:00:45
- it was here at old south meeting house that meeting by meeting vote by vote the american revolution began. old south meeting house blends the traditional new england meeting house architecture with Anglican architecture.
0:00:59
- the exterior's designed in the style of sir christopher wren who designed churches in london. the standard look of wren's architecture include a standing tower at the end of the building arched windows and the flange bond brick. when you enter old south meeting house you'll see an example of new england puritan meeting house style. when you come and you'll see that the pulpit is the architectural highlight of the building and there's a short aisle that leads up to it as opposed to an anglican church where you walked on the large long central aisle at the length of the building.
0:01:36
- inside old south meeting house you'll see re-created box pews they give a feel for what it was like here in the colonial era when the entire floor and lower gallery
were filled with box pews. the original congregation that met here were descendants of the founders of the massachusetts bay colony and the included some of the most
notable families of the era in the years leading up to the american revolution.
0:02:02
- old south meaning house gained a reputation as the largest descending meeting house in town most notably for our role in the boston tea party. on december 16, 1773 the colonists made their decision not receiving the answer they hoped for
from the colonial governor. the colonists took action.
0:02:18
- it was here old south meeting house that samuel adams beacon signal to the sons of liberty this meeting can do nothing more to save our country it was at those words that the colonists left here from old south meeting house went down to the harbor and dumped 340 chests of tea into the water.
0:02:38
- today old south meeting house is open daily as a museum a treasured national historic landmark that keeps our revolutionary heritage alive.
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