Old State House, Providence, RI

Old State House, Providence, Rhode Island

The Old State House has played a pivotal role in Rhode Island's political life since the colonial period. It is one of just six surviving colonial-era state houses in America, three of which are in Rhode Island. In this building, Rhode Island renounced allegiance to the British Crown on May 4, 1776, the first of the thirteen colonies to do so.

In 1781, General George Washington was honored with a dinner and ball here. Later, in 1790, he returned to the Old State House as President. During this visit, he and Thomas Jefferson attended a banquet celebrating Rhode Island’s ratification of the U.S. Constitution.