Though its name became synonymous with the surrounding touristy marketplace, Faneuil Hall has been a public meeting space since its construction in 1742. Its lower level was a meat and produce market, and the Great Hall upstairs became Boston’s first town hall, where protests against British taxes in the mid-1700s helped launch the independence movement, earning Faneuil Hall its moniker as America’s "Cradle of Liberty."
Throughout the 1800s, after architect Charles Bulfinch expanded the structure, Faneuil Hall continued hosting anti-slavery rallies, women’s suffrage gatherings and other public meetings, a role it still plays today.
Staff at the National Park Service Visitor Center, amid souvenir stalls on the building’s 1st floor, can tell you more about its history, and you can visit the Great Hall.
