Where to see Rhode Island’s original copies of the Declaration of Independence during July

Rhode Island is the proud owner of three historic copies of the Declaration of Independence, dating back to nine days after the original document was adopted on July 4, 1776. Typically, you can only view the documents by appointment at the State Archives in Providence.

But they are touring the Ocean State this summer, and you can see them in person as part of the state’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

One went on view in Bristol for two hours Wednesday afternoon, but there are four more opportunities this month. The fragile copies will only be on display for up to two hours at a time, the longest they should be exposed to environmental conditions, RI250 spokesperson Lynzi DeLuccia said.

A total of 257 attendees visited the declaration on exhibit Wednesday at the Reynolds Building in Bristol, DeLuccia said. The viewing included crafts, music and historical reenactors in colonial attire.

The Bristol declaration on view was the Goddard Printing, named after Baltimore printer Mary Katharine Goddard, who was originally from Connecticut. This version was the second to be authorized for printing by the Continental Congress and the first to be publicly engrossed with the signers’ names. First among them was the president of the Congress, John Hancock of Massachusetts, who forwarded it to the state in January, 1777.

The oldest state-owned copy is from July 13, 1776, and was printed by Solomon Southwick, a Newport printer. Nine days prior on the first Independence Day, Congress directed John Dunlap to print the first copies of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia and send one to each state.

After then-Gov. Nicholas Cooke received Rhode Island’s copy, Southwick used it to produce the Southwick Printing, also called the Southwick Broadside, which he distributed to each city. In his rush to disseminate the founding document, he misdated the copies with June 13, rather than July. The state currently holds the copy Southwick sent to West Greenwich, according to its State Archives website.

The third copy in Rhode Island’s collection trades paper for copper. Engraved by William J. Stone, the document is one of 200 the U.S. Department of State ordered in 1823.

All three copies will be viewable at the Rhode Island State House on Saturday, July 4, from 1 to 3 p.m.

After the holiday weekend, the documents will be on display in Newport and Woonsocket:

• Newport Historical Society, 82 Touro St., Newport, on Wednesday, July 8, from 10 a.m. to noon
• Museum of Work & Culture, 42 South Main St., Woonsocket, on Saturday, July 11, from 1 to 3 p.m.
• Audrain Museum, 222 Bellevue Ave., Newport, on Sunday, July 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

See more RI250 events here.