Faneuil Hall

Known as the ‘Cradle of Liberty,’ this marketplace and meeting hall was gifted to Boston by wealthy merchant Peter Faneuil in 1742. After a fire in 1761, it reopened in 1763 just as colonial protests against British taxation intensified. The second-floor assembly room became the epicenter of Revolutionary activity, hosting speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and John Hancock against the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and other British policies. The building served as the meeting place for Boston town meetings and in 1772, the first Committee of Correspondence was established here. Following the Boston Massacre in 1770, thousands packed the hall demanding removal of British troops. The iconic grasshopper weathervane atop the cupola, created by Shem Drowne, became a spy test during the War of 1812. Expanded in 1806, it continues to serve as a forum for free speech and hosts naturalization ceremonies.