State Street is one of the oldest and most historic streets in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States. Located in the financial district, it is the site of some historic landmarks, such as
Long Wharf, the
Old State House and the
Boston Custom House
The Custom House in Boston, Massachusetts, was established in the 17th century and stood near the waterfront in several successive locations through the years. In 1849 the U.S. federal government constructed a neoclassical building on State Stree ...
.
History
In 1630, the first
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
settlers, led by
John Winthrop
John Winthrop (January 12, 1588 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the fir ...
, built their earliest houses along what is today State Street. The Puritans also originally built the meeting house for the
First Church in Boston
First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church (originally Congregationalist) founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building, located on 66 Marlborough Street in the Ba ...
on the street across from the marketplace, which was located where the Old State House stands today. By 1636 the thoroughfare was known as ''Market Street.'' From 1708 to 1784, it was renamed ''King Street''. In 1770 the
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, during the American Revolution in Boston in what was then the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay.
In the confrontati ...
took place in front of the Old State House.
During the
Revolutionary War, it assumed its current, non-royalist name. In the 19th century State Street became known as Boston's primary location for banks and other financial institutions.
[Thomas F. Anderson]
Historic Boston
New England Magazine, June 1908
Transportation
The
Blue Line of the
MBTA subway
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates rapid transit (heavy rail), light rail, and bus rapid transit services in the Boston metropolitan area, collectively referred to as the rapid transit, subway, the T system, or simp ...
runs below State Street. Two stations have entrances on State Street:
Aquarium
An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
and
State
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
. The
Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall near the waterfront and Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...
is also nearby. The east end of State Street is at Long Wharf, where ferries are available to several places, including the airport.
See also
* ''
American Apollo,'' 18th-century newspaper
*
Boston Custom House
The Custom House in Boston, Massachusetts, was established in the 17th century and stood near the waterfront in several successive locations through the years. In 1849 the U.S. federal government constructed a neoclassical building on State Stree ...
* ''
Boston Evening Traveller''
*
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, during the American Revolution in Boston in what was then the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay.
In the confrontati ...
*
Bunch-of-Grapes
The Bunch-of-Grapes was a tavern located on King Street ( State Street) in Boston in the Province of Massachusetts Bay in the 17th and 18th centuries. It served multiple functions in the life of the town, as one could buy drinks and meet friend ...
, tavern
*
First Town-House, Boston
*
Gilbert & Dean, publishers
*
Long Wharf
*
John Mein
*
Merchants Exchange (Boston)
The Merchants Exchange building (1842-1890) in Boston, Massachusetts was built in 1841 from a design by architect Isaiah Rogers. Centrally located on State Street (Boston), State Street, it functioned as a hub for business activities in the city ...
*
Old State House (Boston)
The Old State House, also known as the Old Provincial State House,Old provincial state house; maintenance and preservation - () is a historic building in Boston, Massachusetts, built in 1713. It was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court unt ...
*
State Street Block (Boston)
State Street Block (built 1857) is a granite building near the waterfront in the Financial District, Boston, Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. Architect Gridley James Fox Bryant designed it. In the 1850s "the Long and Central Wharf Co ...
Images
File:John Winthrop 1834 Massachusetts Historical Society portrait.jpg, John Winthrop built his first house in Boston on what is today, State Street
Image:John Winthrop Home Site Boston.jpg, 1630 site of Winthrop's first home in Boston on State Street
Image:Boston Massacre.jpg, The Boston Massacre took place on State Street (then "King Street") in front of the Old State House; the site is marked by a cobblestone
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on Cobble (geology), cobble-sized stones, and is used for Road surface, pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Sett (paving), Setts, also called ''Belgian blocks'', are often referred to as " ...
circle in the square
Image:DockSquare 1775 Boston map.png, Detail of 1775 map of Boston, showing King Street and vicinity
Image:Old State House and State Street, Boston 1801.jpg, State Street, 1801, by J. Marston
Image:1826 LemuelGulliver StateSt Boston.png, Advertisement for Lemuel Gulliver "stationer, chart and nautical bookseller" c. 1826
Image:2350789509 StateStreet Boston.jpg, State St., c. 19th century
References
Further reading
*
State Street a brief account of a Boston way. Boston: State Street Trust Company, 1906
{{authority control
Financial District, Boston
Streets in Boston