COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, May 20, 1795

• USS Constitution construction begins
• Laying of the keel - United States Navy

A page 3 report under "Federal Frigate" reports the beginning of work on this famous addition to the U.S. Navy, stating in part: "...the keel of the United States frigate...was finished laying. It is 156 feet in length, and from the elegance of the workmanship, and the goodness of the timber of which it is composed...we anticipate she will be one of the finest vessels that ever floated...".
This was actually the keel of what would be the frigate Constitution as the frigates had yet to formally named at this point.
Four pages, never-trimmed margins, archival strengthening at the blank spine and a few at margins, good condition.

Background: This four-page May 20, 1795 issue of Boston’s Columbian Centinel holds exceptional historic and collectible value as a scarce, contemporaneous print account of the earliest origins of the USS Constitution—popularly known as "Old Ironsides." Containing a page 3 report under the heading "Federal Frigate," it details the laying of a 156-foot keel composed of high-quality timber and praised for its fine craftsmanship. Because the Naval Armament Act of 1794 had only recently authorized the original six frigates and official names had not yet been designated by President George Washington or Secretary of War Timothy Pickering, the article refers generically to the "United States frigate," marking a compelling primary-source record before the legendary vessel acquired her iconic name. Period 18th-century newspapers documenting the birth of the U.S. Navy are extraordinarily rare, as few survivals remain outside institutional archives and private specialty collections, making complete four-page issues from this formative era prized artifacts of early American naval history.