Old State House, Boston Freedom Trail

A view of the Old State House along the Boston Freedom Trail. The building dates back to 1713. The General Court (Senate) and other governing bodies met here during colonial times. From the balcony, the Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Boston on July 18, 1776. The lion & unicorns of symbols of England. It is believed that the Lion represents England and Wales, and the Unicorn represents Scotland. There was a huge dispute in the late 1800s when anti-British sentiment was brewing. It was asserted that the Lion and Unicorn were indigenous symbols of the earliest governing bodies in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (somewhat absurd to this historian).