PROVIDENCE, RI — The Rhode Island State Archives at 33 Broad St. in Providence will be open Thursday for special July 4 hours, so the public can view the state’s three copies of the Declaration of Independence.
“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 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.”
Subscribe
From 10 a.m. to noon, the archives will display its three copies of the nation’s founding document: the Southwick printing (1776), the Goddard printing (1777), and the Stone printing (1823).
The Declaration of Independence was first printed in the Philadelphia print shop of John Dunlap on the evening of July 4, 1776, after being approved by congress earlier in the day. The exact number of broadsides produced by Dunlap is unknown, but estimates put the number at about two hundred.
On July 6, 1776, a copy was forwarded to Rhode Island Gov. Nicholas Cooke. On July 12, 1776, Solomon Southwick, printer for the Newport Mercury, received payment for reproducing 29 copies for distribution to the various town clerks.
In January 1777, a second printing of the Declaration was authorized and given to Connecticut native and printer Mary Katharine Goddard (1738 – 1816). State officials said the second printing is significant, as it made public for the first time the names of each signer.
The William J. Stone engravings of the Declaration of Independence were ordered by the U.S. Department of State and through a joint resolution of congress. Two hundred printings were authorized for distribution among surviving signers, government officials and departments, institutions of higher learning, and other similar groups.
The Rhode Island State Archives is home to more than 10 million letters, photographs, and important state documents that form a permanent, tangible record of Rhode Island’s rich history. Visitors to the Archives can access vital records, census data, historical manuscripts and documents, and more.
Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.