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Source: National Archives, archives.gov. Pictured is a high resolution image of the Declaration of Independence.
6-10-2026 12:22am
All MA Towns, Cities to Receive Copy of Declaration of Independence Made Using 18th-Century Printing Methods
Darlene Cancell
Editor
In celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, Revolution 250 - a nonprofit organization of partners formed to honor the role of the American Revolution in United States history – has announced it will present each of 351 towns and cities in the Commonwealth with a copy of the Declaration of Independence that is reproduced by using 18th Century printing methods.
The Provincial Congress in July 1776 authorized the printing and distribution of 300 copies of the Declaration of Independence to be delivered to each parish in Massachusetts so that it could be read aloud to residents by their minister and copied into official town records. According to Revolution 250, many copies still survive to this date, housed in Town Clerk offices, libraries, and archives, including at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Harvard University and Williams College.
The replicated documents will be printed on a cotton-linen blend paper that is produced one sheet at a time by Twinrocker Paper of Brookston, Indiana. Each copy will be created by Gary Gregory, a Massachusetts resident and expert in printing history, using a custom made type with approximately 10,000 pieces. The printing will be performed by Edes and Gill Print Shop using an 18th-century printing press and movable type.
“The Declaration binds Massachusetts together with the people of the other states in this new venture in world history, a nation formed on the idea that all people are created equal, and that people create governments to secure the people’s rights. The people of Massachusetts joined in pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to make these ideas into reality,” said Robert Allison, Revolutionary 250 chair and president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts.
Helping to make the project possible, the effort to provide each Massachusetts community with its own “authentic” copy of the Declaration of Independence is supported by the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, says Revolution 250.
Thanks to Revolution 250 for sharing this news with Westwood Minute.
