Several historic documents will be on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science from May 8-25. Here’s how to see them for free.
To celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s founding, nine historic documents will be on tour across the US. The “Freedom Plane National Tour” is only stopping in select cities, and Houston just happens to be one of them. It’s the only one in Texas, making the occasion even more special. The traveling exhibit was organized by the National Archives and Records Administration to celebrate, and commemorate, this monumental occasion in US history.
The original documents will be on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science beginning on May 8. Free admission will be granted to the exhibit, and we’ll go over those important details for you below. Houston Museum of Natural Science’s director of collections and curator of anthropology, Dirk Van Tuerenhout, said he was looking forward to bringing these important pieces of history to the area and that he hoped others would share in his excitement. “I would just express a hope, first of all, we will get a large number of people that are interested in learning more. It is actually the year to come and see these documents; otherwise, you would have to go to Washington. But it also gives you impetus, perhaps, a little bit of a spur in the moment,” Van Tuerenhout told Houston Public Media.
Included in the collection is a rare, original copy of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Treaty of Paris. The items are currently on display in Kansas City, Missouri and will travel from there to Atlanta and Los Angeles before arriving in Houston. Following its stop in the Lone Star State, the “Freedom Plane National Tour” will go on to Denver, Miami, Dearborn, and Seattle.
Documents on display and how to view them
If you want to capitalize on this opportunity to see these historic documents while they’re in Houston (and save yourself the time, money, and planning to see them in Washington D.C. in the future instead!), you may do so for free from May 8 through May 25 at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibit is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day during that stretch of time. Additional details and information can be found here.
Included in the exhibit are the following historic documents:
- A William Stone Engraving of the Declaration of Independence from 1823 (Only 200 exact replicates were created—this is one of 50 still in existence)
- The Senate Markup of the Bill of Rights from 1789
- The Treaty of Paris from 1783 (which formally recognized the United States as being an independent nation from Britain)
- Articles of Association from 1774
- State Delegation Votes Approving the Constitution from 1787
- George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr’s Oaths of Allegiance from 1778
- A Secret Printing of the Constitution by David Brearley from 1787
Dirk Van Tuerenhout said it was “a tremendous opportunity” for the general public to see these documents while they’re being displayed in Houston. “It’s a great honor to be able to share these documents, given the history, and, of course, the fact that they go back to the very beginning of the history of the United States,” he said. So, don’t miss out!
