Old State House - Declaration read from the balcony

On July 18, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was publicly read from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston to inform the city of the colonies' declaration. The Old State House, built in 1713, served as the seat of colonial and state government in Boston and overlooks the site of the Boston Massacre. It is a major historic landmark on the Freedom Trail interpreting Boston's revolutionary-era history.