The "Preservation Of Our Country's Historical Documents" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading more about some of America's most important historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  It was on August 22, 1814, two days before British forces entered Washington, D.C. that Secretary of State James Monroe ordered government records removed to Virginia for safekeeping.  He told Stephen Pleasonton, a State Department clerk, to bring several coarse linen bags and fill them with all the Department's records.  Pleasonton filled several bags with all the Department's records which included the still unpublished secret journals of Congress, the commission and correspondence of George Washington, the Articles of Confederation, the United States Constitution and all the treaties, laws and correspondence of the Department made since 1789.  After all the documents were packed in the linen bags, they were taken to a grist mill which was two miles beyond Georgetown.  Before he had left, he noticed that the Declaration of Independence had been forgotten and was still hanging in its frame on the wall.  

56 people signed the Declaration Of Independence.

He grabbed that as he exited the location.  The following day Mr. Pleasonton began to worry that the British would destroy a nearby cannon foundry and possible even the grist mill if they were to come to Washington, so he found several wagons to take the material another thirty-five miles to Leesburg, Virginia, where they were secured at the Rokeby mansion in what was said to have been a brick vault.  

The Declaration of Independence

The documents that were in the linen bags remained there for several weeks until they were returned to Washington.  In the early 1800s, Secretary of State Daniel Webster framed and hung the Declaration to keep it safe and make it more visible to the American people.  Only problem was that he placed the frame in front of a window and the sun damaged the original parchment paper that the Declaration was printed upon.  Then in 1820, the Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams commissioned printer William J. Stone to make a full-size copperplate engraving of the Declaration of Independence.  This plate was used to print copies of the Declaration.  The 1823 Stone engraving is the most frequently reproduced version of the Declaration.  In April of 1952 Congress ordered the Library of Congress to transfer the Declaration of Independence and Constitution to the National Archives.

Archives of the United States of America in Washington, D.C.

 These two documents were to go on public display along with the Bill of Rights which was already at the Archives.  Exhibition Hall at the Archives was designed to display the documents, but didn't have a safe place to store the documents when they weren't on exhibit.  The National Archives contracted with the Mosler Safe Company to construct a vault beneath the exhibition hall's floor.

The Mosler Safe being installed

 The Archives officials announced they would unveil the Bill of Rights one day that year.  The vault was built in Hamilton, Ohio and transported to Washington, D.C. for installation.  The vault was made of steel and reinforced concrete.  It was placed 20 feet under the floor of the exhibition hall.  The vault was designed to be fireproof, shockproof and bombproof.  During visiting hours at the National Archives, the three documents were displayed in then state-of-the-arts cases.  Every night, with a push of a button,  the elevator gently lowered the documents in their cases through the floor into the 50-ton safe where they sat overnight.  Today, the National Archives no longer uses the Mosler vault to protect the Charters of Freedom.  In the early 2000s, a complete overhaul of the security system was done to keep the papers safe without using the vault.

The historical documents on display at the National Archives Building.

 Currently the Declaration of Independence is kept safe in a titanium case filled with argon gas.  This helps to prevent deterioration of the material.  The case also has a spsecialized, filtered glass to reduce the harmful effects of sunlight yet allow visitors to view the document.  The titanium case and argon gas were introduced in 2003.  Today the documents are displayed on a platform in a circular marble hall.  The Declaration of Independence stands upright, and the first and last pages of the constitution and the Bill of Rights are laid out before it.  

How we picture our Declaration of Independence.

The other two pages of the Constitution are also kept in helium-filled, sealed cases, but they are rarely displayed.  Almost 250 years ago our Founding Fathers may have been grilling hot dogs on the 4th of July, since the Declaration of Independence was actually adopted on July 9 of 1776.  Today, the document still has the yellowish color to it from the excess exposure years ago, but it has been viewed many times while it was on public display all those years.  

Visitors to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

It is now maintained under the most exacting archival conditions possible and I wouldn't expect anything less than that from our country officials.  Our heritage and the documents that are associated with it are some of the most important items a country can be proud of and should make every effort to keep them safe and protected for future generations.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.