Old State House

The 1713 seat of colonial government. The Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians from its east balcony on July 18, 1776 — and the crowd promptly tore down the gilded lion (England) and silver unicorn (Scotland) from the gable and burned them in a bonfire. The current figures are replicas, re-gilded in 2014–15. Below the balcony, cobblestones mark the Boston Massacre site. Stop 9 on the Freedom Trail.