Using the Dunlap version, Solomon Southwick, printer of the Newport Mercury, on July 12, 1776, was paid to make 29 prints to be distributed to town clerks in Rhode Island, according to the State Archives. Only six are known to exist.
One copy has remained at its intended destination for nearly 250 years.
A Southwick print delivered to then Portsmouth, R.I., town clerk John Thurston hung in the town clerk’s office until it was taken down in 1984, when the office was repainted. It was placed next to the printer and file cabinet for years because no one, except for the former Portsmouth police chief John Pierce and town clerk Carol Zinno, had a hunch the yellowed parchment was not a modern reproduction.
The document was confirmed to be one of the 29 printed by Southwick, and is still with the Town of Portsmouth, Department of State spokesperson Faith Chybowski said.
“The Town of Portsmouth’s Declaration of Independence, in fact, is believed to be the only Rhode Island copy that has remained at its intended destination — at a town clerk’s office or in a town hall!” according to the Town of Portsmouth.
The transmittal letter that accompanied Rhode Island’s William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence from US Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in June 30, 1824.Rhode Island State Archives
The state’s official Southwick print will be displayed at the State Archives alongside one printed by by Mary Katherine Goddard in 1777 — the first to be printed by a woman, and the first to make public the names of the signers. Also on display: a William J. Stone engraving commissioned by US Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and intended to capture the original document’s “artistry” before it deteriorated, according to the National Park Service.
“As we look forward to parades and gatherings with family and friends on Independence Day, I encourage Rhode Islanders to take a moment to visit the State Archives and see the document that is the reason for the holiday,” Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore said. “Rhode Island is fortunate to have three magnificent copies of the Declaration of Independence, and it is a special experience to see them up close and in person.”
Amore, a former history teacher, said it was particularly special for him to see the state’s copies of the Declaration. They are in remarkable condition, he noted.
The transmittal letter that accompanied Rhode Island’s William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence from US Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in June 30, 1824.Rhode Island State Archives
“I spent my entire life teaching these documents,” he said. “I get tingles when I see these documents. The Founding Fathers made sure everybody was on board with the language. This was painstakingly crafted and compromised. It’s great that we have preserved these. We are lucky as a state we have these pieces of American history available to us.”
The state’s original copy of the Declaration of Independence — the one printed in Philadelphia by Dunlap — has been lost to time. “We can’t figure out what happened to our original copy,” Amore said. “The Dunlap copy is missing.”
The Declaration was signed by 56 delegates, including Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery of Rhode Island. Near the bottom of Rhode Island’s copy of the Goddard print, John Hancock wrote, “A True Copy.”
When the state’s official copies of the Declaration are not on display, they are kept in a drawer at the State Archives in a climate-controlled vault with proper casing and lightning. The state archives building is located at 33 Broad St. in Providence.
Legislative leaders recently rejected a $60 million bond item for a proposed State Archives and History Center where the state’s historic documents could be publicly displayed (for now, anyone who wants to see some of the state’s 10 million letters, photos, and documents can do so by appointment, or online at https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/). Amore, who championed the project, said he will regroup and use $500,000 included in the state budget to conduct a new study and create a scale model for the project.
“Governor Dan McKee put it in the budget but other things happened, “ he said. “We had capital funding dedicated to the state archives that went to the construction of the Washington Bridge. We are happy the budget includes $500,000 to look at a different design for this building.”
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Carlos Muñoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews.