First Public School Site and Ben Franklin Statue

The first public school in America was established by Puritan settlers in 1635 in the home of Schoolmaster Philemon Pormont and was later moved to School Street. A portrait statue of Benjamin Franklin overlooks the site of the oldest public school in America which Franklin, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock once attended. Franklin's place of birth was just oneblock away on Milk Street, across from the Old South Meeting House. The Boston Latin School no longer stands in its once downtown location, but is now located in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.

Location: School Street

Have the Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, or the Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center stamp your passport book for this stop.

Content provided by The Freedom Trail Foundation