Massachusetts State House cornerstone is laid.

Gov. Samuel Adams and Paul Revere take part in the ceremony, which takes place on the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Within the cornerstone is placed a time capsule, containing coins, newspapers, and a silver plate commemorating the occasion. A Salem newspaper subsequently expresses doubts that the building will ever be completed, declaring, “The factious attempts of the Bostonians to govern the State render that town a very improper place for legislative deliberations!” But the building is completed in 1798.*