Old North Church & Historic Site

Old North Church, formally Christ Church in the City of Boston, is the North End landmark where two lanterns signaled the start of the American Revolution. Built in 1723, it is Boston’s oldest surviving church building and one of the city’s most visited historic sites. On April 18, 1775, sexton Robert Newman and vestryman Captain John Pulling Jr. hung the lanterns in the steeple to show that British troops were crossing by sea.

Visitors can tour the sanctuary with its box pews and award-winning history exhibit, the crypt where about 1,100 people were laid to rest in 37 tombs, and the bell ringing chamber where a teenage Paul Revere rang bells. The campus includes the 1715 Clough House, the Printing Office of Edes & Gill with colonial printing demonstrations, Heritage Goods and Gifts, gardens and a war memorial.

What to Know

• The church holds the oldest set of change ringing bells in North America, cast in England in 1744.
• Its 1759 pipe organ is still used in services, and the congregation worships on Sundays.
• Audio guides are available in English and Spanish, plus a kids’ audio adventure and family scavenger hunt.
• The church is wheelchair accessible, though the bell chamber tour requires climbing steep stairs.
• The site is a stop on the Freedom Trail and can be booked for special events.