Rare 18th-Century Edition of The Declaration of Independence to be Displayed in Recognition of Nation’s 250th Anniversary
The Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY Purchase will partner with Westchester County Government and County Executive Kenneth W. Jenkins to present The Declaration Distributed: Westchester County’s Holt Broadside of 1776, a special exhibition centered around New York State’s historic adoption and distribution of the Declaration of Independence.
The exhibit, which opens July 4, will feature Westchester County Government’s Holt Broadside edition of the Declaration of Independence, believed to be the document that was read in White Plains shortly after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The Declaration Distributed will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and highlight Westchester County’s critical role in that founding. It will offer visitors a rare opportunity to view the document that helped bring the Declaration’s words to New York in 1776.
“We often talk about the founding of this nation as something that happened somewhere else, in Philadelphia, Boston or Washington, but this exhibition is a powerful reminder that Westchester County was part of that story from the very beginning. The Holt Broadside is not simply an old document preserved in an archive. It is evidence that the words of the Declaration of Independence were carried here, read here and shared here as the American Revolution unfolded in real time. Westchester County has proudly safeguarded this extraordinary artifact for generations, and as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored to partner with the Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY Purchase, to share it with the public. This exhibition highlights not only the importance of preserving history, but also the important role Westchester County played in the founding of our nation and the ongoing story of American democracy,” said Kenneth W. Jenkins, Westchester County Executive.
“We are deeply grateful to Westchester County for choosing the Neuberger Museum at SUNY Purchase to exhibit this powerful and historic document. As a public campus, we are excited to welcome our students and the wider community of Westchester to visit and learn more about this document and the Revolutionary era history that surrounds us,” said Michael E. Steiper, PhD, president of Purchase College.
“We are honored to be able to display the Holt Broadside at the Neuberger Museum of Art, and to share with our community a powerful artifact of American history, while recognizing the deep local roots that tie Purchase and Westchester County to the story of independence,” said Tracy Fitzpatrick, PhD, director of the Neuberger Museum of Art.
The Holt Broadside is one of the earliest state printed editions of the Declaration of Independence. Printed by John Holt in New York City and dated July 9, 1776, the document reflects the rapid spread of the Declaration throughout the colonies during the earliest days of the American Revolution. The Westchester County edition is believed to have been the one that was publicly read in White Plains on July 11, 1776 on the steps of the Court House. The Holt Broadside was preserved for generations by the White Plains Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution before being donated to Westchester County in the mid-20th century. Following conservation and restoration efforts, the historic document was permanently transferred to the Westchester County Archives in 1991 by County Executive Andrew P. O’Rourke. Today, the Holt Broadside stands as one of Westchester County’s most significant Revolutionary-era artifacts connecting the County directly to the founding of the United States and the enduring ideals of liberty, democracy and self-governance.
The story told in The Declaration Distributed: Westchester County’s Holt Broadside of 1776 is the story of a revolution in progress and a revolution unfinished. It is the story of the ways in which those revolutionary ideas spread through New York State by way of the Holt Broadside.
The exhibition focuses on the document, its printer and the role of printing during the Revolution, the first reader of the document in New York State who lived on the land where Purchase College now stands, its whereabouts over the last 250 years, and current preservation efforts so that it will be with us for another 250 years.
The Declaration Distributed: Westchester County’s Holt Broadside of 1776 at the Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY Purchase, is made possible by Westchester County Government. Support for the project has been provided by the Friends of the Neuberger Museum of Art.
Learn more about Westchester County by visiting www.westchestercountyny.gov.
Visit purchase.edu/neuberger, Facebook: @neubergermuseumofart, and Instagram: @neubergermuseum.