The State House
On Beacon Hill rests the State House which is the Capitol Building
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Constructed in 1795, the red brick structure has white pillars
and an impressive golden dome. It was designed by Charles Bulfinch,
a fine Boston architect who designed many famous buildings. Several
additions to the State House have been built, the last one of
which was completed in 1917. Today workmen are busy renovating
the State House once again.
When the dome was first built it was not covered with gold, but
with wooden shingles. Some years later the dome was topped with
copper by the company of Paul Revere. Finally, in 1872, the dome
was gilded with gold leaf and it remains that way today.
Within the State House there are many rooms. Some of the more
important of these include the Governor's Office where the
governor runs the state and signs the laws by which we live. The
House of Representatives and the Senate Chambers are where the
men and women legislators who represent all the citizens of the
Commonwealth meet to make laws.
Also in the State House there are lots of paintings and sculptures
showing important events in Massachusetts history. These can be
found just about anywhere you look in the Capitol building. For
example, both the House and the Senate have carved fish hanging
in their chambers. The "Holy Mackerel" is the fish of
the Senate and the "Sacred Cod" is that of the House.
If you visit the State House, ask your tour guide to point them
out to you. In every room something unique can be found. Doric
Hall, for example, has a statue of our first president George
Washington, a painting of our sixteenth president Abraham Lincoln,
historic cannons, and copies of gravestones. In Nurses' Hall
there are marble columns and a lifelike statue of a nurse and
a wounded soldier carved to honor nurses that had served in the
Civil War.
A very special room in the State House is the Hall of Flags. This
room was built to protect and display the flags brought back from
wars by Massachusetts soldiers. In the ceiling of this room is
a stained glass window of the Massachusetts State Seal surrounded
by the seals of the twelve other original colonies.
The State House on Beacon Hill is the very heart of state government.
Its rooms are alive with political activity as well as years and
years of Massachusetts history. Anyone can visit the State House
to learn more about the Commonwealth. The State House belongs
to everyone who lives in this state.
The State House:
Questions for Discussion
1. The original dome was built with wooden shingles, but soon
after it was fitted with a copper top. Can you figure out why?
The copper protected the dome and the rest of the State House
from the leaks caused by rain and snow.
2. The dome is covered with gold leaf. Do you know how those
leaves are made?
The leaves are made of gold that has been hammered into very
thin sheets.
3. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have fish
symbols in their chambers. What are they?
The "Holy Mackerel" in the Senate Chamber and the
"Sacred Cod" in the House Chamber.
4. The Hall of Flags is home to a stained glass window with a
design of the state seal surrounded by seals of the 12 other original
colonies. Many of the original colonies are neighbors to Massachusetts.
Can you name any?
Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Maryland,
South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina,
and Rhode Island.
