U.S. Navy 1798 receipt connected to the frigate USS Constitution, Old Ironsides.
This document is a primary historical artifact: a partially printed receipt from 1798 documenting the payment for land used during the final stages of building the USS Constitution (famously known as "Old Ironsides").
Document Details
Date: August 27, 1798
Amount: Sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents ($66.66)
Purpose: Payment "in full for rent of a piece of Land, occupied in building the United States Frigate Constitution"
Rental Period: January 28, 1798, to July 28, 1798
Location: Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Key Historical Figures
Henry Jackson (1747–1809): The "Naval Agent for the United States" named on the receipt. A former Continental Army officer and close friend of Henry Knox, Jackson was appointed in 1794 to oversee the construction of the Constitution in Boston. His role involved managing finances, hiring labor, and procuring materials.
John H. Bowes: The signatory who received the payment on behalf of James Tisdale
Historical Significance
The USS Constitution was one of the six original frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Launched on October 21, 1797, it was still being fitted out and prepared for its first cruise when this receipt was issued.
The ship sailed on its first assignment in July 1798—the very same month this rental period ended—to protect American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France. This receipt provides a rare glimpse into the logistical and administrative costs, such as land rental for the shipyard, required to launch the early U.S. Navy.
This document is a primary historical artifact: a partially printed receipt from 1798 documenting the payment for land used during the final stages of building the USS Constitution (famously known as "Old Ironsides").
Document Details
Date: August 27, 1798
Amount: Sixty-six dollars and sixty-six cents ($66.66)
Purpose: Payment "in full for rent of a piece of Land, occupied in building the United States Frigate Constitution"
Rental Period: January 28, 1798, to July 28, 1798
Location: Boston, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Key Historical Figures
Henry Jackson (1747–1809): The "Naval Agent for the United States" named on the receipt. A former Continental Army officer and close friend of Henry Knox, Jackson was appointed in 1794 to oversee the construction of the Constitution in Boston. His role involved managing finances, hiring labor, and procuring materials.
John H. Bowes: The signatory who received the payment on behalf of James Tisdale
Historical Significance
The USS Constitution was one of the six original frigates authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Launched on October 21, 1797, it was still being fitted out and prepared for its first cruise when this receipt was issued.
The ship sailed on its first assignment in July 1798—the very same month this rental period ended—to protect American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France. This receipt provides a rare glimpse into the logistical and administrative costs, such as land rental for the shipyard, required to launch the early U.S. Navy.