COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, July 27, 1796  

* President George Washington
* Mass. Governor Samuel Adams

The front page begins with a document: "Official By the President of the United States" concerning building codes for houses in the new city of Washington, D.C. It is signed in script type: Go. Washington.
Taking half of the front page is: "An Act for Establishing a Turnpike Gate on such Roads..." signed by the governor of Massachusetts: Samuel Adams.
Page 2 has a letter of "thanks" from the mayor of Fredericksburg, Va. to the President, followed by his reply signed in type: Geo. Washington.
Four pages, wide, never-trimmed margins, nice condition.

Background: The July 27, 1796 issue of the four-page, wide-margined Columbian Centinel (Boston) captures a monumental moment in early American statecraft and infrastructure building, featuring key executive documents signed by both President George Washington and Massachusetts Governor Samuel Adams. Prominently displayed on the front page, an official presidential document signed in script type by "Go. Washington" details urban building codes essential for constructing the new federal capital city of Washington, D.C., highlighting Washington's direct influence over the nation’s fledgling seat of government. Dominating the rest of the front cover is "An Act for Establishing a Turnpike Gate on such Roads..." signed by Governor Samuel Adams, illustrating the post-Revolutionary push toward state-led infrastructure expansion and commercial connectivity. The issue’s internal significance continues on page two with civic correspondence—a letter of thanks from the mayor of Fredericksburg, Virginia, alongside a typed response signed "Geo. Washington" during his final year in office—making this well-preserved newspaper a remarkably rich historical snapshot of founding-era governance at both the federal and state levels.