KENNESAW — In honor of Constitution Week, Kennesaw State University unveiled a rare, newly-restored 1843 copy of the Declaration of Independence.
The restored document was put on display Thursday during a preview of KSU’s new, 10-panel traveling exhibit, “We The People: The Documents That Made Our Nation,” at the Sturgis Library.
The exhibit preview served as the university’s signature event celebrating Constitution Week, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. After unveiling the restored declaration, students were invited to view the document along with other items in the exhibit.
Other documents on display in the exhibit include a 1791 edition of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” newspapers from the 1780s reporting updates on the Revolutionary War and a late 1700s print of a poem by Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry.
The school also offered free calligraphy lessons, a photo booth with James and Dolley Madison reenactors and a quiz to figure out, “Which Founding Father are you?”
“This is the only reason that we have rights, is these documents,” said Christopher Davidson, state archivist and assistant vice chancellor of the Georgia Archives. “To hold an original manuscript (from) 300 years ago, it brings it all so much more to life.”
History of the Document
In the early 1820s, the original 1776 copy of the Declaration of Independence began showing immense signs of ware. In response, President John Quincy Adams, then serving as Secretary of State, commissioned Washington, D.C. engraver William J. Stone to create an engraving of the document, so the government could make copies.
About 20 years later, historian Peter Force made additional copies of the declaration from Stone’s engraving, one of which KSU now owns. According to KSU Special Collections Curator JoyEllen Williams, only about 300 of these copies have survived the test of time.
KSU’s 1843 copy was purchased more than 20 years ago and has since been restored by the university’s Bentley Rare Book Museum. The museum aims to preserve and display historical manuscripts, books and other press materials.
Williams said this copy of the declaration had been previously folded and had lots of ruptures and creases in the thin paper. The goal was to repair the damage while also removing and replacing the frame that housed it.
After a year of fundraising, the museum earned enough to begin restoration, overseen by the Georgia Archives. According to Dr. Catherine Lewis, associate vice provost for museums, archives, rare books and the university libraries, the project cost several thousand dollars and took months.
“Paper conservation is very slow and laborious,” Lewis said. “(Conservators) begin the laborious work of inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, restoring the document.”
KSU freshman and Rare Book Museum student assistant Andrew Bramlett said historical documents like the Declaration are still relevant today.
“It’s almost 250 years old, but it still means so much to people,” Bramlett said.
The university plans to tour the “We The People” exhibit at various locations across Georgia, according to Lewis.
Rather than storing the documents away after restoration, the Bentley Rare Book Museum tries to keep them on display for the public to admire and learn from.
“Our collections ... do not remain stagnant on shelves,” Williams said. “They are constantly activated through research, teaching, exhibitions and public programs.”
