Federal Hall050

The Federal Hall National Museum commemorates the site of the first Capitol of the United States of America. On March 4, 1789, at this location, in a building also known as Federal Hall, Congress met for the first time. On April 30, 1789, George Washington was sworn in as President on Federal Hall's second story balcony. On June 8, 1789, James Madison suggested to the House of Representatives, assembled in Federal Hall, a number of amendments to the Constitution which, when later adopted, became known as the Bill of Rights.

After the federal government left New York, the original Federal Hall fell into disrepair and was torn down. The present building was completed in 1842 and initially served as the United States Customs building. In 1939, it was designated a national historic site. It houses a number of exhibits on the early history of our government and is home to the Masonic Bible on which Washington actually took his oath of office (as did Harding, Eisenhower, Carter, and Bush).

Guided tours of the building, led by National Park Service Rangers, are regularly scheduled at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm.