Massachusetts State House

The beautiful Massachusetts State House sits at the top of Beacon Hill, overlooking Boston Common. It was designed by Charles Bulfinch, completed in 1798, and is considered a masterpiece of Federal architecture. The land it occupies was once the property of John Hancock, Massachusetts’s first elected governor.

The dome of the state house was originally wooden. When it was found to leak, it was covered in copper by the Revere Copper Company in 1802. At times painted gray or yellow, it was first gold-leafed in 1874, then again in 1969 and 1997. Under the dome is a beautiful stained glass window, viewable from the second floor.

In the House of Representatives chamber are murals painted by Albert Herter (whose son Christian was governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957). One of the murals depicts Judge Samuel Sewall’s apology for his part in the Salem witch trials, which was read to his South Church congregation by Rev. Samuel Willard. There is also one that pictures the arrest of Royal Governor Edmund Andros, who was ousted in 1689, just years before the witch trials.

24 Beacon Street