George Washington, Paul Revere...
Item # 709004
March 08, 1797
COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, March 8, 1797
* President George Washington
* American silversmith Paul Revere
* Grand Master of Masonic lodge notice
Page 2 has an "Address To George Washington" from the "Senators representing Massachusetts in Congress" concerning his retirement from public life, followed by his humble and gracious reply, signed in type: G. Washington.
Page 3 has a notice about the quarterly meeting of the "Grand Lodge" signed in type: Paul Revere, Grand Master. Includes an engraving of the Lodge's Masonic symbol.
Four pages, never-trimmed margins, good condition.
background: This March 8, 1797, issue of the Columbian Centinel serves as a profound dual-artifact of American civic and fraternal history, capturing a rare intersection between the nation’s first President and its most legendary silversmith. The content on page two provides a poignant snapshot of the federal transition, recording the Massachusetts Senators’ tribute to George Washington just days after he relinquished the presidency to John Adams, thereby cementing the democratic precedent of the peaceful transfer of power. This is brilliantly complemented on page three by the presence of Paul Revere in his capacity as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, an inclusion that elevates the paper’s value from a mere news record to a significant piece of Masonic ephemera. Because the margins remain untrimmed, the physical integrity of the rag-paper is preserved in its original 18th-century format, making it an elite specimen for collectors who prioritize both the high-stakes political narrative of the early Republic and the tangible signature-in-type of Boston’s most famous patriot.
* President George Washington
* American silversmith Paul Revere
* Grand Master of Masonic lodge notice
Page 2 has an "Address To George Washington" from the "Senators representing Massachusetts in Congress" concerning his retirement from public life, followed by his humble and gracious reply, signed in type: G. Washington.
Page 3 has a notice about the quarterly meeting of the "Grand Lodge" signed in type: Paul Revere, Grand Master. Includes an engraving of the Lodge's Masonic symbol.
Four pages, never-trimmed margins, good condition.
background: This March 8, 1797, issue of the Columbian Centinel serves as a profound dual-artifact of American civic and fraternal history, capturing a rare intersection between the nation’s first President and its most legendary silversmith. The content on page two provides a poignant snapshot of the federal transition, recording the Massachusetts Senators’ tribute to George Washington just days after he relinquished the presidency to John Adams, thereby cementing the democratic precedent of the peaceful transfer of power. This is brilliantly complemented on page three by the presence of Paul Revere in his capacity as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, an inclusion that elevates the paper’s value from a mere news record to a significant piece of Masonic ephemera. Because the margins remain untrimmed, the physical integrity of the rag-paper is preserved in its original 18th-century format, making it an elite specimen for collectors who prioritize both the high-stakes political narrative of the early Republic and the tangible signature-in-type of Boston’s most famous patriot.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
