Independence Hall West Wing – American Village

The West Wing of Independence Hall at American Village contains a multi-sensory foyer and 104-seat theatre. In the foyer, the Liberty Tree narrates an immersive experience that includes the Boston wharf where the Boston Tea Party took place; the Green Dragon Tavern where the Sons of Liberty met to form plans for gaining independence from Great Britain; the Boston Custom House and Mercantile, where students learn about taxation and shortages of goods; the Boston State House which features a state-of-the-art digital animation of the Boston Massacre; and the Old North Church where the signal was sent “one if by land, two if by sea” warning colonists that the British soldiers were on the march.

From the foyer, visitors move into the theater, where they see an original film that takes them on a journey from Paul Revere’s ride to the battles at Lexington and Concord, to the Continental Congress. Along the way they will be introduced to George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley, Thomas Jefferson, Crispus Attucks, and many other historic figures from America’s founding generation.

The West Wing experience is just the first of three that will connect the revolutionary events of Boston, Philadelphia, and Virginia, once all three phases of the Independence Hall project are complete.