Old North Church & Historic Site

Old North Church & Historic Site, an enduring symbol of American independence, promotes values of freedom, liberty, and civic engagement through interpretation and preservation. Old North serves a wide audience by creating meaningful experiences through educational outreach, site-specific programming, and historical analysis.

Old North Church's fame began with the signal lanterns of Paul Revere on April 18, 1775, but with 300 years of history, Old North has much more to tell.  At our site, we strive to inspire courageous, compassionate leadership by telling stories of active citizens and by not shying away from difficult histories.

Today, Old North Church & Historic Site (ONCHS) also includes:

• The 1715 Clough House, one of Boston’s oldest surviving brick residences, which houses the Printing Office of Edes & Gill and Heritage Goods + Gifts

• A chapel built in 1918 for Italian immigrants, which now serves as the Old North Gift Shop

• Three large courtyards, two formal gardens, and a war memorial to soldiers fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan

• Two adjoining townhouses, converted into use for administrative, educational, social, civic, and parish programs.

On-Site Program Offerings

When your class visits our campus, students will start their experience with a brief interactive talk about the history of Old North Church . Then, your group will have the opportunity to sanctuary with a self-guided tour. Students will learn the true story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, admire the 17th-century angels flanking the church’s 1759 organ, and sit in the box pews and read about some of their past owners

Crypt Tour

See what lies beneath Old North! This 15 minute guided tour takes visitors through the church’s historic crypt, where more than 1,100 bodies are interred. Walk amongst the 37 tombs constructed below the sanctuary floors between 1732 and 1860. Learn about the construction of the crypt, view artifacts found in the crypt, and learn how and why crypts were used in colonial Boston.

Gallery Tour

Explore Old North’s gallery, a paradoxical space that is home to both the church’s undesirable balcony seating and some of the sanctuary’s most costly and ornate items. In this 15 minute guided tour, you’ll learn about the experiences of early Black congregants, both free and enslaved, who historically sat in the gallery. You’ll also get an up-close look at Old North’s beautiful 1759 pipe organ and the 17th century carved angels flanking it. The tour weaves together the stories of the many people whose labor and contributions shaped Old North into the place it is today.

Prince’s Pew Pursuit

In this new activity designed especially for students, participants explore Old North through a scavenger hunt narrated by Prince, the friendly North End cat who used to frequent the church. By finding clues and answering questions, participants will see highlights of the sanctuary and learn about Old North’s unique history.

Bell Chamber Tour

The bell tower tour brings students to the archive room and then the bell ringing chamber where they learn the history of Old North’s change ringing bells and its steeple. Steep stairs.

Chocolate Spotlight Experience

In this activity, students use primary sources to take a deeper look at the colonial chocolate industry in Boston and how some Old North congregation members were connected to this industry. They will interpret recipes from the past to learn about urban slavery and how to write inclusive histories.

Digital Classroom Resources

Bring Old North to your school with fully developed multimedia lessons.

Old North Teacher Guide 

(Grades K – 12): The activities in this guide explore the many aspects of Old North Church and cover a variety of subjects, including arts and STEM, and teach important skills such as interpreting primary sources, organizing data, and constructing an argument.

History Mystery 

(Grades 3 – 8): Who held the famous lantern signals in Old North Church’s steeple? Watch our three-part video series to solve this “history mystery” while learning to think like a historian.

Behind the Scenes Tour 

(Grades 5 – 12): Take a half-hour video tour of Old North Church’s most compelling spaces. Learn about the many people who helped build the church and its community over the past 300 years.

Chocolate as a Lens to the Past 

(Grade 5): In six different lessons, students are challenged to look at the history of chocolate in Boston from both a historical and scientific perspective while analyzing a variety of primary sources and designing their own scientific investigations.

Cacao and Colonial Chocolate 

(Grades 9 – 12): This curriculum for high school students traces the history of chocolate from the Maya through colonial Boston and the slave trade to the present day chocolate industry and its connection to child labor. You can also find more information about the history of the chocolate industry in Boston on our website.

Illuminating the Unseen 

(Gr 9- College) This video series, produced by Old North Illuminated, studies the histories of Black and Indigenous peoples. Written and presented by our Research Fellow, Dr. Jaimie D. Crumley, the series dives into Old North’s archival documents to shine a light on those who have often been excluded in the church’s broader historical narrative.

Digital Speaker Series Archive

(Gr 9-12): Here you can find recordings of our Speaker Series which brings together experts and audiences to explore topics from archeology to colonial music, from the history of the North End to the stories of the Black community at Old North. 

If you have questions or would like to learn more about these classroom resources, please email Emily Spence at espence@oldnorth.com.