Old State House is the oldest surviving public building in Boston and was built in 1713 to house the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It stands on the site of Boston's first Town House of 1656, which was destroyed by fire in 1711. As the centre of civic, political, and business life, the Old State House was a natural meeting place for the exchange of economic and local news. A visit to this site offers tourists the opportunity to explore the unique collection of the Revolution-era artefacts and other one-of-kind objects from the past.