Boston National Historical Park | MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE: NURSES HALL

View of Nurses Hall from the third floor balcony of the Massachusetts State House

View of Nurses Hall from the third floor balcony of the Massachusetts State House

MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE TOUR STOP 2
NURSES HALL

The second stop on a tour of the Massachusetts State House is Nurses Hall. To get there, depart Doric Hall by walking up a short flight of stairs. You will be leaving the original Bulfinch building and entering into the additions made by Charles Brigham between 1889 and 1895. Before reaching Nurses Hall you will come to a statue of General William Francis Bartlett, a Civil War hero from Massachusetts. The statue was created by Daniel Chester French, the same man who designed the Abraham Lincoln figure for the Lincoln Memorial.

Statue of General William Francis Bartlett in the Massachusetts State House

Statue of General William Francis Bartlett in the Massachusetts State House

The very next hall is Nurses Hall, which takes its name from a statue of a Civil War nurse by sculptor Bela Pratt. It is the first statue to honor women who served during the Civil War.

Army Nurses Statue in Nurses Hall at the Massachusetts State House

Army Nurses Statue in Nurses Hall at the Massachusetts State House

Nurses Hall connects directly to the next stop on the tour, the Hall of Flags, plus staircases on either side lead up to the third floor. The hall is designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and noted for its elaborate use of six types of marble imported from Italy.

Staircase from Nurses Hall to the third floor of the Massachusetts State House

Staircase from Nurses Hall to the third floor of the Massachusetts State House

Murals by Robert Reid along the top of the hall depict Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, the Boston Tea Party, and attorney James Otis arguing in court against the Writs of Assistance, which gave British troops the authority to enter and search homes and places of business. Otis lost the case, but his argument is the basis of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution which protects Americans from illegal search and seizures.

Mural of James Otis in Nurses Hall at the Massachusetts State House

Mural of James Otis in Nurses Hall at the Massachusetts State House


Stop 3: Hall of Flags | Stop 1: Doric Hall | State House Main Page

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Last updated on January 30, 2024
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