T: Park Street
Free guided tour, 10am-4pm weekdays, every 1/2 hour.

The State House, also a stop on the Freedom Trail, stands as impressively overlooking the Boston Common today as it did when it was first built 200 years ago. The State House was designed by respected architect Charles Bulfinch and the copper sheathing under the goldleaf dome was added by Paul Revere, the most well-known silversmith of his day. The House of Representatives and the Senate Chamber have been preserved through years of renovations. The tour will introduce you to remarkable bits of history such as the golden pinecone on top of the dome that symbolizes Maine’s lumber industry when Maine was part of Massachusetts, and the fish symbol (named the sacred cod in the House) hung in both the House and Senate to remind legislators to pass laws favorable to the fishing industry. Note the portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the lobby – the face in this portrait is in the same image as that on the five-dollar bill.