1795 Columbian Centinel — George Washington Acts, Samuel Adams & Paul Revere Notice

An original issue of the Columbian Centinel, published in Boston by Benjamin Russell on March 28, 1795, during George Washington’s presidency.

The front page features two acts of the Third Congress, each concluding with George Washington’s name printed in elegant script type. Approved March 2, 1795, the acts concern a pension for William Seymour and federal responsibilities relating to lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers. A Massachusetts legislative act also bears Governor Samuel Adams’s printed script name.

An additional highlight is a “Mechanic Association” notice bearing the printed name of Paul Revere as president. The notice announces that the association’s constitution is available for members to sign at Ebenezer Larkin’s bookstore in Cornhill.

Other contents include election returns, foreign and maritime intelligence, agricultural commentary, theatrical announcements, and advertisements for goods, property, and shipping. A richly detailed glimpse of commercial and civic life in the early American republic.

Condition: Age toning, scattered spotting, irregular edges with small chips and tears, and wear and splitting along folds. Early handwritten ownership inscription above the masthead. See photographs for condition.

Washington’s, Adams’s, and Revere’s names are printed as part of the newspaper; they are not autograph signatures.